


Thin Lines

by MarvelousMaam



Series: Thin Lines [1]
Category: Batman (Comics), DCU (Comics), Detective Comics (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Red Hood/Arsenal (Comics)
Genre: And kinda sweet, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Batboys, Bruce tries, Dick Grayson is a good bro, Dick gets trolled, F/M, Jason Todd is an asshole, Jason is a nerd, Jason saves reader, Protective Bruce Wayne, Protective Jason, Rated For Violence, Rated for Jason's mouth, Rated for nudity, Reader is a vigilante in Gotham, Reader-Insert, Red Hood loves his guns, Slow Burn, Tim Drake is a coffee junkie who saves the day, batfamily, but a hot one, fem reader - Freeform, he also likes to demolish his helmet, he loves Shakespeare, might get a little smutty towards the end, rated for graphic description, this is dark, who's really just good boy trying to be bad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-08
Updated: 2018-07-14
Packaged: 2019-05-19 19:37:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 20,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14879918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarvelousMaam/pseuds/MarvelousMaam
Summary: Jason and Reader return from a failed mission after having been trapped in a basement below a crumbling building. They might have developed more feelings than either is ready to face. Especially Jason has trouble to deal with the fact that he suddenly fears for another human being's life. His way of coping is inelegant and not exactly gentlemanlike.





	1. Let's Begin Right in the Middle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Well, thanks for patching me up! I’m off to my place now! It’s been four days since I had a full night’s sleep."  
> You heard Dick and Tim snicker but chose to ignore them. All of these Wayne boys had a tendency to be nothing short of annoying - each of them in his own respective manner...'

_A story has no beginning or end: arbitrarily one chooses that moment of experience from which to look back or from which to look ahead._  
(Graham Greene in The End of the Affair)

 

"Will you stop it already? Nothing happened! Nothing at all!" you growled, frustrated with Dick’s lighthearted teasing. Picking up a faint snort you averted your gaze and glared at Tim, his cowl removed after a long night of saving your ass and hiding behind a steaming mug. The smell of freshly brewed coffee had been the first thing you’d noticed upon entering and the „Best Detective“-cup held in the older brother’s hands had been taken over unceremoniously by the younger one who’d eyed it like the eight wonder of the world.

"That’s a shame, I was rooting for you two and now look at me: 10 $ worse off…" Dick snorted prior to sinking back into his seat, swinging the chair around, back to the laptop he’d been observing closely. His dismissal was precise and curt as he gestured for Tim to come closer and began pointing out landmarks on an enlarged map that for some reason looked disturbingly like Disney World.

Exasperated you threw up your hands and shook your head in one motion, turning on your heel.  
"Well, thanks for patching me up! I’m off to my place now! It’s been four days since I had a full night’s sleep."  
You heard Dick and Tim snicker but chose to ignore them. All of these Wayne boys had a tendency to be nothing short of annoying - each of them in his own respective manner.

However it was true after all, you were really in need of some REM and you legitimately had nothing to feel guilty about either. Nothing had happened between Jason and you during these past few days of sharing a few measly, bug-infested rags on a dirty basement floor - at least nothing that Dick liked to imply upon your short-kept recount of events.  
You’d have to lie to say that you hadn’t thought about it or that there hadn’t been a few moments of something akin to sexual tension between the two of you but neither one of you had acted upon it. Besides it hadn’t been the place nor time, also you were very much aware that Jason Todd, the badass Red Hood with all of his swearing, crudeness, dark humor and bad puns was a romantic at heart - absurd but true. Certainly not the kind of romantic who’d ask the girl of his dreams out on a sweet date night (no way!) but he wasn’t the swine he tried to depict either, far from it actually.

Passing Alfred in mid stride you managed to pull your lips up in a small smile and were about to hurry past the butler and out the front door when you heard him gently clear his throat. You stopped your forceful walk and tried to ease the anger off your face before turning to meet the steely gaze of Batman’s oldest confidant who always smelled of the finest English teas and a hint of cinnamon. You’d often wondered if Alfred used a bergamot scented shower gel or if he evaporated the massive amounts of Earl Grey tea he seemed to consume. It was a welcoming scent that you’d grown to like over the past few months that you’d got to know the Wayne family.  
His raised eyebrows told you more than you needed to know and you heaved a sigh.

"Master Bruce wishes to have a word with you, Miss Y/N!"  
"Oh, sure he does!"you groaned. "Can’t it wait till tomorrow? I’m in need of a shower and a bed - a REAL bed. I just wanna go home!"  
A pitiful glance and a raised brow was your answer as you were lead back along the halls you’d just stormed through.  
"I suppose it cannot wait then!" you mumbled as quietly as possible, flinching when you passed a window and your eyes were hit by bright light. If you couldn’t hear your own heartbeat pounding in your ears right now, you’d be sure you were dead on your feet.  
At least that would give you just a few opportunities to counter Jason’s crass jokes about himself, you mused and wondered whether he’d find it as appalling as you did when he compared himself to a zombie.

"…had a room prepared for you!" you suddenly picked up Alfred’s voice over your own thoughts.  
"Excuse me?" you stumbled on your feet and almost bumped into his back when he stopped in front of a large door that you knew would lead you right into Bruce’s office.

The butler’s eyes were on you again, empathically observing your form. You couldn’t help but tug at the ripped hem of the too large t-shirt you wore, feeling conscious about your rugged state and especially the pungent smell you were inevitably emitting.  
"Miss Y/N, it is merely a suggestion but you can stay here, I prepared one of the guest rooms. Have a bath and a good rest, have a meal. Whatever else it is you need, I’m sure Master Bruce is glad to provide. All of us will undoubtedly be delighted to have you stay over for a day or two until you’ve recovered wholly."

You snorted, well aware that besides Richard Grayson, who got easily excited and might see a chance to reclaim the money he’d lost, no one would be all too enthusiastic to have you stay at the manor. Neither did you like the idea too much.

You watched Alfred tug out a handkerchief from some hidden pocket and were too stunned to even twitch before he’d wiped off some smudge of your cheek, the soft material on your skin a déjà vu that immediately made you think of how Jason had softly wiped away some specks of blood from your face a few days ago. You still had the memory of stingy smelling iron in your nose when your eyes refocused on the older man in front of you.  
"Yeah!" you nodded and each of you was aware that it hadn’t been a suggestion but an order.  
"But first…" Alfred smiled softly as he opened the door to your certain demise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just couldn't help myself. JayJay just needs some more love and much more adoration. He's such a good boy.  
> Kudos, comments, questions welcome. xoxo, marvelousmaam


	2. Of Mice and Men (I)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Take a seat, Y/N!" Bruce voice was soft but left no place for disobedience...  
> "Jason’s told me what happened to the two of you... I am interested in your point of view concerning this debacle."

_Any woman who is sure of her own wits, is a match, at any time, for a man who is not sure of his own temper._  
(Wilkie Collins in The Woman in White)

 

Upon entry you immediately noted the smell of burning wood, the welcoming warmth that the fireplace emitted and the soft crackling sounds - the atmosphere served an almost meditative purpose for you.

A mop of messy black hair and broad shoulders clad in a worn-out, stained, grayish shirt that used to be black, were clearly visible over the Chesterfield’s back - you couldn’t help but acknowledge the similarity to the other man, seated in an armchair closer to the fire. His hair was accurately styled and neatly in place though, his clothing clean, ironed and chic. Somehow Jason and Bruce, besides all hard feelings could have actually passed for father and son, their height and stature about the same, even their features somewhat alike. On the other hand, the older Wayne seemed to have unconsciously always chosen Robin-candidates that would somehow fit the protege role in his life outside of vigilantism as well.

Both men had stopped their hushed, angry talking upon your entry and you felt more than saw Bruce’s eyes observe you from his periphery while Jason remained in his seat, not even turning to greet you. He’d removed his arm from the backrest though.

"Take a seat, Y/N!" Bruce voice was soft but left no place for disobedience.  
You trudged to the seating area, careful to not stumble in your sleep deprived haze.   
From the look of it you could discern that Jason hadn’t had time to take a shower either but you didn’t dare spare him more then a glance before you sat down on the other side of the couch, putting as much space between you as possible.

On the two-seater that wasn’t much and you could still feel his body heat on you like waves rolling softly onto shore. You shuddered and hoped that neither of the two had noticed or would relate it to the cold and smooth leathery surface you’d sat on. On their own accord, you felt your fingernails dig into the material.

Concentrating on your surroundings you saw the red helmet lying in a corner of the room. It looked even more broken than earlier and if the dent in the wall above it could tell a story you already knew how it played out. You dared to take another glance at the man next to you, finding him pressing his eyes into the balls of his hands, looking something between infuriated and inexplicably lost to you.

Your hands twitched and you gritted your teeth to resist the urge of running your fingers through his tousled tresses, just the way you’d done countless times during the last days. If Jason Todd had an Achilles’ heel you were confident that it was having his scalp massaged.

"Jason’s told me what happened to the two of you." Bruce spoke up, a hand running through his hair, ruining the perfectly styled locks just a little. The gesture small and so much alike to what you’d seen Jason do countless times. You nodded warily, not sure what he had told his adoptive father.

"I told him about the observation and what happened when it went… south… the basement and shit… not THAT though, but he’s persistent about it… Fuck… Dammit!" his gruff voice had you swallow hard and reminded you of several talks you’d had. But that was then and this was now!

It was something altogether different whether you were the only two people caged in a cellar with barely enough water to last you and no privacy apart from an old boiler room where you’d placed a bucket and some old newspaper scraps that had conveniently awaited you in your accidental prison. And that had been exactly where any eroticism had ended. So screw Dick and Tim for their assumptions… and you guessed Bruce, too from how he watched the two of you like an overprotective mother bird. You were fairly certain that Jason didn’t even realize whom his father’s sheltering behaviour was aimed at.

Sucking a breath in frustration you sprung to your feet, ignoring Bruce’s displeased glare, and set to pace the room. It helped you think and it helped you stay awake. Not everyone was capable of staying awake for days and function like a normal human being.

"Well, what’s left to discuss then?" you shrugged your shoulders and glared right back. Jason’s face still hidden in his hands although he looked slightly more relaxed.

A sound of displeasure left the patriarch’s lips and you shrugged again, unsure about his intend.

"I am interested in your point of view concerning this debacle." You perceived that Bruce Wayne had a tendency to underline his non-negotiable requests with a lowering of his eyelids and were once again reminded of the other man, who’s back was facing you, unmoving, still, cords of muscles tense as coil springs waiting for release. He had demonstrated the same mannerism on several occasions. You couldn’t help but spare that damn bucket another thought and how Jason had told you to suck it up and get it over with, his eyes mere slits and his nose wrinkling almost cutely. Of course he’d been right but that awareness hadn’t lessened the embarrassment of having to pursue basic human needs almost in front of each other.

"Fine!" you groaned and returned to your seat, the sudden need to move around as quickly gone as it had come. In the background you could still hear the fire crackling although it’s flames seemed to slowly perish.

You inhaled deeply, held your breath for a second before you slowly breathed out to begin the recapture of how all your hard work had been pulverized to ashes within seconds.

It was also the story of Jason Todd had somehow managed to worm himself beneath that shell you’d deliberately put up to steer clear from prime-assholes like him.

  

"Well it was the night of the of the gala and… 

The plunging neckline of your dress did indeed draw a lot of attention as you clung to the side of a small, beady-eyed man whom you’d sought out in place of his actual escort, a young woman who was now enjoying a drug enforced sleep deeply in her downtown shoebox of an apartment - courtesy to Red Hood.

David Kumar, only son of an impoverished British noble woman and an Indian businessman was none the wiser and your ticket to the feast. He wouldn’t know any better if the evening played out accordingly. Maybe his male ego would suffer just a little when you left his side for another but that was a small price to pay.

Jason had clearly voiced his doubts about this form of infiltration, he himself had declined to put on one of the waiters’ uniforms and was instead lingering in some hiding spot, observing the halls from above, his commentary in your ear a welcomed diversion from playing the dumb bimbo. He’d made it clear that he would prefer to catch the target alone and end the wannabe-mafia-boss’s life with a bullet.

Bruce and Dick had not approved but essentially the crucial factor that the Red Hood duly played along was the gigantic load of black market ammo hidden in one of the mobster’s hideout and waiting to be put to use. If the target didn’t raise hell then another surely would. You had to find out about the lairs whereabouts.

Sipping on your flute of champagne and giggling stupidly at one of Kumar’s lame jokes you briefly wondered when the ambitious up-and-coming mafiosi, who called himself Lupo would finally make his entrance. You’d seen a picture of the young man, merely your own age, clearly an alpha male and obviously in desperate need to prove it. Deliberately you let your little dress ride up just a little higher. You’d have to make sure he’d swallow the bait.

An exasperated groan in your ear caught your attention.

"You enjoying the view, honey?" you whispered and were well aware that both men would feel addressed. Kumar’s eager nodding and another lame joke you waved off with a giggle, much more surprised when your heard Jason’s disfigured voice through your earpiece.

"I like to pet nice things with my finger, sof’ things…" the distorted voice left you shuddering and you couldn’t help but wonder if there was more than just animus between you on his behalf.

"You dirty man!" you giggled once more, playing the part of escort the best you could if the smirk on Kumar’s lips gave any hint. The poor dear had no clue that you whispered alluringly in his ear but your words were solely directed at your partner who had gone dangerously quiet apart from a sharp exhale of breath.

"Steinbeck, sugar! You might wanna rethink your consumption of smutty romance novellas and start reading real books!"

You swallowed hard at the sudden burning anger bubbling in your stomach at his words. Jason Todd was a complete jackass and your physical attraction had once again gotten the best of you and put you in the direct line of fire for one of his scorning remarks.

"Ouch!" David Kumar’s yelp brought you back to the task at hand and you loosened your tight grip on his arm instantly.

"Oh!" you exclaimed hoarsely, a barked laugh in your ear almost enough to distract you again, "I’m so sorry. I got carried away! This is just so exciting!"

You bobbed your head stupidly while shooting Kumar a toothy smile and ran a hand over his non-existent biceps in what you hoped was a suggestive manner. It appeared to serve its purpose when you felt him give your rear a squeeze that had you squealing indecently. The little shit, you glowered internally.

"Now, now! Isn’t this a lovely sight for sore eyes!" a deep voice rung out behind you and instantly you knew that you’d walked right into your target. Loosening your grip on Kumar furtheryou turned and deliberately put on your bedroom eyes while puckering your lips.

Truth be told, Lupo was not hard to look at. Tall, dark, handsome, with a vibe of arrogance and adventure. His whole demeanour basically screamed 'smutty romance novella' all over, to put it in Jason’s words. Too bad that he was the bad guy or otherwise he could have served as a sufficient distraction from the pain in your ear who’d refrained from further commenting.

"The name’s Jonathan Mason!" the hunk in front of you spoke again and bowed just a little while extending his hand for you to take. Almost dazedly your own hand wound its way in his and he swiftly pulled you closer, pressing a soft kiss on your knuckles.

"What a wonderful creature you brought along, Kumar my old friend!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter down... whatcha say? Whatcha think? Any feels? Any ideas? Who else loves that goddamn build up of sexual tension between two characters who don't realize they should just get it on? Hmmm... I've always had a weakness for them sassy, assy guys... wait did I just honestly write that? 
> 
> Third chapter won't be up for a few days cause I'm off to visit family abroad. It seems as if there's still women out there who fall in love with real guys. My cousin is one of 'em lucky gals and she's getting married to her Mr. Right. Soooo... yeah... 
> 
> As always: Questions, Kudos and especially comments are more than welcome. 
> 
> xoxo


	3. Shakespearean Thoughts and Dirty Words

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "If we’d done it my way… Now Lupo’s still on the run and we don’t know where he plans to hit next." His rough voice hardened even more if possible and his glare would have set the floor on fire if he was a Kryptonian. Alfred spared the two of you another pitiful glance before he left the room wordlessly.

_You can only be jealous of someone who has something you think you ought to have yourself._  
(Margaret Atwood in The Handmaid’s Tale)

 

"…And that was how we… how I met Jonathan Mason or Lupo if you rather!"

You shrugged your shoulders and glanced up at Alfred who’d entered with a tray full of cucumber sandwiches, cookies and tea. Your stomach growled loudly and as if in response you heard Jason’s growl even louder.

During the first part of your recapitulation his tenseness had somewhat eased and you noted that both of you had stopped clinging to your respective sides of the Chesterfield.

"I see!" Bruce commented warily and rubbed his eyes. "So, I take it that you actually stuck to the plan up to that point?" 

You nodded and bit into the sandwich you’d grabbed, barely chewing before swallowing, not really savoring its taste. Next to you Jason withstood the temptation only seconds longer before his stomach convinced him other wise. Meanwhile Alfred poured tea. 

"Everything we did, we acted according to the plan! It was supposed to be a quick in and out sorta thing!" You tried to stress out.  
"That plan was a fucked up mess right from the beginning!" Jason cut in sharply but his eyes remained glued on the half eaten food in his hand. He still avoided looking at you and you couldn’t help but wonder what you’d done to deserve this kind of treatment after you’d gotten along just fine for countless hours, under much more critical circumstances.

"If we’d done it my way… Now Lupo’s still on the run and we don’t know where he plans to hit next." His rough voice hardened even more if possible and his glare would have set the floor on fire if he was a Kryptonian. Alfred spared the two of you another pitiful glance before he left the room wordlessly.

 Swallowing the last mouthful of sandwich, you nodded.  
"He’s right, we hadn’t half the info we’d have needed to make this plan work out the way we were supposed to!"  
Out of the corner of your eyes you noticed Jason’s head whip around in surprise. Apparently he hadn’t anticipated for you to agree with him. It was strange really that you hadn’t even talked about it once during all the time you’d had. His wide eyes scrutinized you clearly in awe at your non-compliancy. Bruce merely averted his gaze in acknowledgement. 

"However," you grumbled a little grudgingly, "I’m quite certain about Mason’s current place of residency! He talked about some part of family business in Starling City. I don’t think he even realized I was able to listen in on that conversation."

 "That’s a start! I will inquire further information then.“ Bruce nodded. „If that’s true than Green Arrow will want a part in this as well!"

 "He will not put a finger on that bastard - I’ll finish what I started with this motherfucking little shit." Jason’s voice was merely a hiss and as you glanced at him you noted his eyes were still on you and not on his adoptive father. Their usual blueish tint a dark gray and the slant telling of unbound fury. The curl of his upper lip spoke of cruel intentions only but you couldn’t help the tingly feeling of butterflies in your stomach at this clear display of protectiveness. Besides, hadn’t Mason shoveled his own grave?

"I’ll make him regret that he even so much as dared to…" Jason’s burning eyes moved onwards to meet his father’s and you thought back to the moment he implied, shuddering as you remembered cold hands and cold steel kissing your skin and leaving you bare to the world. You weren’t sure when Lupo had slipped the drug in your drink but he had. Or maybe it had been Kumar after all, trying to win the other’s favor. You were sure that their plan had not included that you’d remain conscious while immobile but maybe they’d just miscalculated the amount needed to knock you out. 

"Did he…?" you were well aware that Bruce’s inquiry was justified but it was moments like these that you couldn’t handle the Wayne patriarch’s pragmatic, almost cold behaviour, even though you knew that internally he probably fought a battle against himself.

You shook your head no, trying to distance yourself from the events.  
"No, they didn’t but they would have if Jason hadn’t saved me. And worse…" Your calm reply surprised yourself but the trembling of your hands you couldn’t control.  
"It was my fault, Bruce! If I’d noticed that he put something in my drink…"  
At your side you felt Jason tense again, his thoughts probably as well on the moment he’d rescued you from not only Lupo but Kumar, who’d been part of the mafiosi’s band of followers all along, and probably a handful of other gang members who were merely awaiting their turn before you’d have been disposed of.

Before you could even stop yourself you’d placed your hand softly on Jason’s knee, the foot that had been tapping restlessly against the carpeted floor ceased its movement promptly and for a long while there was only the sound of your soft breaths.

"How did you end up in the cellar?" Bruce suddenly spoke up, the rational detective once again on the prowl for information as he looked slightly enthralled watching your thumb draw circles on his adoptive son’s knee. It was Jason who continued your story though.

 

"I honestly thought Y/N had downright overestimated her alcohol tolerance…

From up above the masses of people I kept my eyes only on one woman, not daring to leave her out of my sight, especially since Lupo had made his entrance and seemed to be acquainted with Kumar. This came as a surprise and the gleam in the mens’ eyes was a dead giveaway as to their intentions. The endless giggles and husky laughs in my ear gave me a hard time to focus on anything besides the group of three conversing below.

I was well aware that it was the worst idea to submit to this attraction but here I found myself reciting Shakespeare in my head, convinced that this woman’s sole purpose on earth had to be to make my life even more miserable.

 _Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night._  
Romeo  & Juliet, really?  
She and her silly romance novels… I groaned quietly as she sighed softly in my ear while leaning even closer to the other man. Screw me if she didn’t have the hots for that smooth mobster with his smart suit, the freaking perfectly combed back, slick bangs, the fake-ass bubblegum smile and that unnatural tan. I could not see what she would be attracted to but on the other hand… why would she ever be attracted to someone like me.

I bit my tongue, angry at myself for lashing out at her earlier. It didn’t help that I couldn’t refrain from letting my frustration get the best of me… all the fucking time. So, I might be able to sucker punch that bastard to hell or blow his brains with a single shot but there wasn’t much else I had to offer, not even a good personality. Just a scary aura, pent up anger, lots of hideous scar-tissue… oh and let’s not forget about my geeky, absolutely useless bookworm-qualities. Hadn't life been generous?

I felt my lips twist to form a snarl but stayed in the same spot, unmoving, only watching when the trio set off through the masses of mellow people towards the other side of the hall. There was something strange about Y/N’s ragged breathing but watching her clutch onto that bastard’s arm like her life depended on it sent another wave of fury coursing through my veins.

The resurfaced anger only served to have me entertain the thought of how I’d make her hangover in the next morning even worse. She’d surely be furious but I already saw myself on a mission to make her next day as much a living hell as this evening was to me. She wouldn’t know what hit her. I couldn’t help the dark chuckle, thinking of her exasperated glare when she’d realize it, too.

She deserved it, I tried to reason with myself. If anything her features always held this goddamned annoyed look whenever her eyes settled on me. It was infuriating really that I truly only wanted to make this wench mine.

No… not another Shakespearian moment, I rolled my eyes and for a second took delight as I watched her stumble once again from afar. The three of them had almost reached a door that would lead towards some private lounges.

 "Jay!" Her slurred murmur caught me off guard and my breath hitched but instantly I was sure I’d misheard her calling out to me. Her softly pleading was but a dirty dream and had unquestionably been a trick of my sick brain taunting me.

 Or that’s what I firmly believed until a moments later the door closed behind the two men and the clearly dazed young woman clad in a much too tight party dress that I’d very much disapproved of. I couldn’t help it, I pondered the possibility of my name gliding from her pink tongue over those damned lush lips. It couldn’t have been, I concluded while making my way across a labyrinth of metal bars and braces. Strange enough our connection had broken off the second the door had fallen into its lock. 

Y/N was strong, there was no need to worry about her safety, my brain chanted on and on while my stomach twisted and turned in fear for her. What if she was too drunk to handle herself? What if it had been a trap? What if Lupo wasn’t just a small fish? What if he hurt her? And god help me, what if she’d really called me?

A sharp buzzing sound in my ear had me flinch and almost tumble to my certain demise in sheer surprise. The fall would have been at least 60 feet and I swallowed hard before pulling the earpiece out.  
Something had interfered with our frequency and it couldn’t be anything good, I concluded.

 "Fuck that fucking plan!" I growled, "Fuck Batsy’s codex! Fuck, fuck, fuck…."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Be warned: This fic will dip a little further into the mind of one slightly mental JayJay at one point in the future - cause fact is Jason is NOT okay. He's on the best way, don't get me wrong but canon suggests so much... and I love that about him. He's one passionate and driven guy with so much self-doubt yet he's so self-righteous other times, all that will make him jealous af if he's invested in someone. And fuck it if that man doesn't have some serious pent up sexual energy and love for cuss words comes right after his love for lit. So much in a nutshell for what you will have to be ready to face. 
> 
> Anyways, I hope you had a good time. Kudos, comments etc. as always much appreciated. :)
> 
> Next chapter coming sometime this weekend. And now I'm gonna take advantage of my day off and get back to writing the Dick fic I'm currently working on. Cause Dickieboy needs some serious loving, too. 
> 
> xoxo


	4. Of Mice and Men (II)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Goodness gracious, Miss Y/N!" you heard Alfred gravelly exclaim from where he was currently cleaning the coffee table from crumbs and empty tea cups.

_Young people get the foolish idea that what is new for them must be new for everybody else too. No matter how unconventional they get, they’re just repeating what others before them have done._  
(Yukio Mishima in After the Banquet)

 

"Well, thank you for your explicitness, Jason!" Bruce’s voice spoke volumes and you registered the small smirk on the younger man’s face as he seemed to enjoy his elder’s disapproval regarding the use of his swear words. You bit your lip to refrain from smiling. This was not the moment.

By now the two of you had cleared the tray of its contents, your appetites stilled for the moment. You carefully set your cup of tea away after noting the stingy burn from having it pressed into your palms for too long. The heat was a welcomed friend compared to the numb coldness that the two of you had had to fight during the last nights. Even Jason’s mad body heat hadn’t been enough.

"You stormed that lounge, guns ablaze I take it?" the older Wayne’s lower face was hidden behind his own mug but you assumed it would either be expressionless or feature a disappointed curl of his lips. Jason nodded proudly, his black hair greasily flopping against his forehead.

You smiled and reached to brush it aside before either of you had even noticed what you were about to do. Milliseconds later your cheeks burned and Jason’s eyes, wide as saucers stared at you… softly?

Bruce sharp exhalation of breath had you turn your attention towards him but his facial expression still gave nothing away besides the fact that he was clearly watching you carefully.

"That’s not entirely true!" You hoped your words would somehow distract the men from the awkward silence that was already beginning to ensue.  
"Isn’t it?" Bruce mild surprise made you avert your eyes from Jason’s stormy gaze.  
"No!" You spoke sharply and felt your heart beat out of tact as you realized the protective sort of tone your voice had taken, but for the moment you couldn't care less.

"Jason did not just storm into that lounge like a madman, he came in from the back. There was no way he could have known that they’d prepared for this sort of ambush…

 

It had been Kumar all along you concluded dazedly while cold hands and cold steel removed the few pieces of clothings from your bare skin. You were pretty sure that neither man had intended for you to be conscious and hear every word of their conversation.

Half of which made bile rise in your throat. The other half though… enlightening!

"Pretty little thing, David!" Lupo’s harsh whisper was right next to your ear. "She smells like the sweetest fruit and feels divine but whatever happened to the girl you ordered? The senator’s bastard child… this is not her."  
"I told you, boss! I don’t know! The escort service guaranteed me the Corners-girl, not that the bitch even knows who her father is."  
"No, but as long as that vile piece of dirt knows his daughter that is of no importance. It would have made our plan work out so much smoother. Holding that girl hostage would have meant free reign in Starling City and no police forces to worry about, just that silly Robin Hood wannabe."

You wished you could move your head to the side to watch the two conversing over your naked body, displayed on a pool table in weird angles. The only other sensation besides sound though remained the mobsters wandering fingers on your hipbone and the goose bumps rising on your skin.

You still desperately hoped for Jason to storm in and rescue you but truth be told you knew he was better than that. He wouldn’t compromise the work both of you had put into this case, by knocking down the front door.

"I’ll have to go back to Starling tomorrow anyhow - gotta take care of some family business, so we’ll have to delay our plan for another week or so. Find that girl, Kumar but try to keep it out of the media. We don’t need that wretched Bat-clan on our heels that green haired freak is more than enough to deal with." Lupo glowered dangerously but what frightened you much more was the sound of a zipper being pulled.

"If we’re found out my friend, god help you and your family!" Jonathan Mason’s large hand petted your hair in a strange fashion as he bend to whisper in your ear.  
"And you, little spy or not, let’s enjoy the next hour or so before I lend you to my men. Not all of them are quite… right in the head, you know? I’m afraid that you will not live to see the next morning!"

His thumb under your chin, you felt his fingers softly enter your mouth and slack jawed you couldn’t do a thing but let him pry your lips open. Somehow the dragging, prodding and shoving had loosened your earpiece and you would have cried in relief if you could as it fell out, startling the man from the task at hand.

"No!" he groaned above you. "Kumar, you idiot! She has a fucking partner!"  
He’d grabbed the small piece of tech and crunched it in his fingers before you heard the zipper once again, this time much closer.  
At the same time Kumar’s voice, now squeaking like a wounded animal, screeched into a walkie-talkie. "Security team, there’s an intruder!"

Only seconds later all hell broke lose as a large figure broke through the window front and simultaneous a team of heavily armed men stormed through the door you’d entered only minutes before. Bullets were flying and you felt your naked body flung to the ground before you hit your head on something blunt and lost consciousness.

Had it been your imagination that Red Hood had stood above you in all his glory, guns cocked and not giving shit about the other shooters? Probably not!

 

"Goodness gracious, Miss Y/N!" you heard Alfred gravelly exclaim from where he was currently cleaning the coffee table from crumbs and empty tea cups.

Slightly embarrassed you began to play with the hem of your rugged shirt again. Not that it actually was your shirt, or your pants for that matter. You had no idea where Jason had found the non-flattering scraps of clothing before he’d hidden the two of you in that basement.

"I don’t remember much of what happened until hours later. I was knocked out!" you admitted and cautiously glanced up at the man next to you, his foot tapping the floor again, in an unsteady rhythm and his eyes glazed over, looking somewhere into the past.

"There’s not much to tell!" He shrugged it off.  
"I grabbed you, made a run for it, hid in the waiters’ dressing room and once I found a way that was not under surveillance I found myself in that wretched basement, hoping for you to gain consciousness so we could make our ecape. All our comm tech had been destroyed… We had to sit it out!" His sullen grunt and the following helpless shrug almost served to tear you up.

"You couldn’t have known he’d blow up the whole building, Jason!" You exclaimed softly and he glanced back at you.  
"Maybe, if I’d kept my eyes open I’d have noticed that there were explosives wired all throughout the fucking building." He gritted his teeth and you noticed a slight rosy color tint his cheeks. "Instead I only watched…"

He stopped mid-sentence and you saw his knuckles whiten as he clenched his fists.

"Miss Y/N, Master Jason!" Alfred’s acute voice was accompanied by a glance towards your state of clothing.  
"Holding out for days in the dust of a building crumbling above you, you certainly look that part and I’m afraid you should be scrubbing that dirt off now before you leave stains other than cucumber on the seatings, wouldn’t you agree, Master Bruce?" His features meaningfully diverted to the oldest Wayne.

"Yes, Alfred!" Bruce distractedly replied, his mind already on the case. He spared the two of you another glance. "No patrolling for the next few days! Whatever needs to be done, we will take care of for you."

You did not even have the power to object to being imposed on, nor did Jason apparently who slumped further into his seat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay... so shit's gotten serious and you might have noticed why this story's rated M... umm... yeah...  
> Anyway, next chapter will be up some time next Wednesday and you better prepare for some serious fluffiness in stark contrast to this... 
> 
> Also, I'm currently writing an eleventh bonus-chapter for all you guys who like smut. Word count is over 3000 already and I'm not done... so yikes... smutfest I guess.
> 
> As always: any form of appreciation and/or recognition is more then welcome. Also, thx to the two peeps who took the time to comment and those of you who left Kudos. Basically it's for you that I post this stuff. :)
> 
> xoxo  
> MM


	5. Sleep is for the Lovers Only

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I’m sorry, it’s just that… I’m so fucking tired and I can’t… I can’t sleep!"   
> "Me neither!"

_I only sleep with people I love, which is why I have insomnia._   
(Emilie Autumn in The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls)

The moment your head hit the pillow you should have been out like a light, yet here you were lying, slightly damp hair surrounding and wrapped into the finest sheets while staring up to the canopy of the gigantic bed Alfred had prepared for you.

You were dead tired but your eyes just wouldn’t remain shut, shooting from one corner of the large guest room to the other, as if awaiting some sort of attack that your brain knew wouldn’t happen.

Earlier, you’d taken your time in the steaming hot shower and freshened up after realizing that one of the boys must have had gone to fetch your emergency bag from your apartment in the city, as well as some clothing - non-combinable, mind you and no sleepwear either. You’d peeled and scrubbed and shampooed and conditioned and shaved and plucked and moisturized like a madwoman. Yes, you’d even cleaned up your nails, tired of looking at the chipped paint that had at one point been a beautiful deep, dark red. 

During all that cleaning and preening the sun had sunken below the horizon and you’d lain onto the soft mattress bathed in pale moonlight which was now even brighter lighting up your room as you shifted underneath the covers, enjoying the feel of fresh linen on your soft skin, smaller cuts and bruises left aside. Those had been cleaned and looked at earlier by Dick.

This should have been nice and relaxing you guessed. It definitely was better than your stuffy little home - but everything about this scenario felt wrong, you mused while listening to chirping sounds from the gardens and feeling the soft breeze of air on your skin raise goose-bumps.

Sighing you twisted your head to the side and watched the alarm clock’s digital display flashing twenty minutes later than last time you’d looked.

As if Tim’s paranoia wasn’t enough, there’d be another sleepless vigilante prowling Gotham, just because it felt wrong to fall asleep alone… no scratch that, it felt wrong to fall asleep without HIM there as your safety-blanket.

It was like you’d developed some sort of omnipotent trust towards Jason. He would have your back and never leave you behind, he was safety.

You couldn’t help the exasperated groan leaving your lips at the prospect of turning into an insomniac as worst case scenario, should these feelings remain unchanged.

 

In the midst of your deep thinking, a soft sound caught your attention, like someone shuffling in the hallways but very softly and almost not perceptible. Your breath hitched and you felt your pulse quicken in answer. It was too early for Bruce and Damian to have come back to the manor, both Tim and Dick were probably out too and both of them would presumably head towards their own places after the night. Which left Alfred Pennyworth, who wouldn’t leave the cave until after Batman’s return, and Jason who would be fast asleep by now - rightfully nonetheless, he was probably glad that he had a real bed and some space to spread eagle.

Your toes touched the hard wood flooring before you’d even given it another thought. Quietly you wrapped yourself into the sheets for as much mobility as possible and crept towards the door that stood out against the white wall, much like a black hole ready to suck you back into the nightmare of the past few days.

"Y/N!"

It was but a whisper but you’d know the speaker anywhere after days spent in almost darkness. Halting mid-way and dropping your alert stance you sighed heavily.

"Yeah!"

Hands on your knees, sheer will-power keeping you upright despite complete exhaustion and your hair probably looking like a bird’s nest, you watched the door being pushed open softly and the blackness surrounding the statuesque figure of your nightly musings, standing somewhat awkwardly in the doorway.

 

"You’re awake!" he scratched his neck but didn’t move over the threshold and you watched his shadowy features from below, feeling slightly angry at him for making you feel all these things.

"No shit, Sherlock!" you heard yourself reply much more sharply than you’d intended. Like you’d seen him do several times now, he scrunched his nose cutely before his face turned into an emotionless mask and his stance straightened out.

"I don’t want to bother you!"

Watching him turn his back on you, head held high, you regretted the spur of anger.

"Jay, wait!" You gasped out and added a feeble "Please?" when he didn’t turn back. His broad shoulders had gone stiff and you noted that his hands clenched tightly.

"I’m sorry, it’s just that… I’m so fucking tired and I can’t… I can’t sleep!" Well-aware that you were practically whining you shut yourself up immediately.

 

Again his whole body seemed to slump in relaxation and he turned once more to face you, eyes small and looking even more drained than you felt - which should be impossible.

"Me neither!"

He uttered weakly but remained glued to the spot in front of your room. He wouldn’t be the one to make the next move you realized. He wouldn’t take anything from you that you weren’t willing to give and ask for, even if it was only the freedom to choose to be alone after days of being forced upon each other. Somehow the hopeful glint in his clouded eyes told you that he hoped for you to ask him inside. You wouldn’t have wanted to disappoint him even if your earlier troubles hadn’t been standing to debate.

"Would you like to come in?" You asked almost shyly.

He nodded, a soft smile grazing his lips as you watched his bare feet step into the room.

Soon enough you found yourself back in bed, keeping a modest distance from the man now lying besides you. Not that it would make a difference you guessed, you’d both held each other through cold nights, bad dreams and other disturbing experiences. But it had been convenient, not being left with much a choice really made for an elegant way to justify bodily contact. Back in the real world it felt stiff and weird lying next to each other. How it was possible for something to feel inappropriate and yet so right at the same time was beyond you. It was enough though, you thought weakly, noticing your limbs growing heavier by the second.

 

"I wouldn’t have pegged you as a PJ type of guy!"

You spoke out the one prominent thought that had entered your mind about the same time as Jason had positioned himself on your bed clad in soft joggers and a wife beater. You heard his soft snort in answer.

"I’m not, I’m jus’ try’n t’ b’have!" His slurred growl warmed your insides and you smiled, drifting further towards your dreams. "Wouldn’ve pecked ya for goin’ commando though, sugar!"

"I usually don’t!" you heard yourself whisper, uncaring of the loose sheets around you being the only barrier you had to offer. If there was one person you’d trust it was him. Besides, he’d seen his fair share of your body by now anyhow.

You were fast asleep within seconds.

 

Sometime during the latter part of the night you woke into a confused and dazed state of half-sleep. Somehow the fresh and airy atmosphere around you had shifted into something much warmer and comfortable, holding you in a sheltering iron grip from behind.

You didn’t give it much thought, only snuggled deeper into the hardness to fall into deep slumber again.

 

When morning came round and the first rays of sun touched upon your face, you woke disoriented but well rested and in good spirits. Shielding your eyes with an arm, you blindly felt sideways for your sleeping companion.

"Jay?" It felt like your vocal cords had been worked on with a cheese grate.

"Jason?"

There was no answer. He was gone you noted sadly but unsurprised. Stretching your sleep-stiffened limbs you were glad to notice that the sheet had remained tactfully around your figure. You mustn’t have moved much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was some fluff due so here ya go.
> 
> Be prepared for some more cuteness next chapter, also Damian, more Bruce, more Alfred and MORE DICK (no, not the dick you were hoping for ya naughties)! Yes, Mr. Bootylicious Wonder gets trolled by Jason and Reader but he's a sport and plays along cuz Dickiebird is just a good bro. It's gonna be so sweet until... until Saturday I guess! ;)
> 
> Kudos and Comments much appreciated. 
> 
> Also, I wanna express my utter shock at finding one of my Bucky Barnes fics at five times the hit count than my lovely JayJay. Like... wtf? What does Bucky Barnes have that Jason doesn't? I'm confused. Someone explain... please...
> 
> OH YAH...if any of you have some nice (read: unusual) pick up lines that you would think Jason and / or Dick would use to flirt with their S/O, please indulge me. I'm writing a three part ficlet with each Batboy (aside from Dami due to his age) and need some ideas. I got Tim's alright I think. But I'm having trouble with Mr. HotShot and Mr. Booty.


	6. Of Dick(s) and Coffee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "This is not about Lupo, I hope! ‘Cause if it is…"  
> "If I tell you it’s not, would you believe me?"  
> You shook your head no.

_There’s a fine line between audacity and idiocy._  
(Jim Butcher in Dresden Files #11)

Making your way around Wayne manor towards the kitchens, you were painfully aware of your outfit: a pair of your oldest and stained joggers you’d reserved for the next paint job and a sequined crop top you’d never worn after obtaining it during one of your rare shopping frenzies.  
You looked ridiculous and were already plotting to humiliate whoever of the boys had been the one to fetch it for you.

So far you’d walked into Bruce ("You wouldn’t mind staying with us for just a few days, Y/N, would you? We need to make sure that you’re out of danger - there’s no way of telling what Lupo might do if he found out you’re alive.") who’d merely raised an eyebrow at your attire, patted your shoulder somewhat compassionate before continuing on his way without even awaiting your answer.

Next in your path had been Damian ("Hmph… mornin’") who’d obviously not even noticed anything weird but merely ignored you for the better part, his gaze solely reserved for a haggard, mangy tomcat rubbing against his shins.

You reached your destination just a little appeased and glad to know that coffee was awaiting you from what you could smell. Clearly distinguishable through the thick wood, was the ardent voice of one Dick Grayson leaving you with a sense of déjà vu.  
"…you’re saying is that you cuddled? That’s great, isn’t it?" Dick’s confused exclamation caught you by surprise and you halted, fingers on the door handle.   
You really didn’t want to listen in but couldn’t help it. Whoever answered spoke much more gingerly though and there was nothing to hear but a faint, husky whisper, easily identified. You smiled, pleased to know that Jason hadn’t just left you alone at the Wayne residence.

Dick had clearly not heard of discretion you mused, hearing his baritone hitch up again in reaction to whatever had been said, he sounded almost upset.  
"Clearly, you’re being an idiot about this, little wing!"  
Taking this as your cue, you pushed the door’s handle to reveal the two men in what looked to be a staring contest. It was the older of the two who broke the gaze first, his eyes turning towards you, sparkling mischievously.

  
"Good morning, Y/N! You’re looking good! Such an improvement to yesterday! You had a good night I take it? The guest rooms sure are comfortably furnished, aren’t they? Have you tried out the bathtub yet? It’s phenomenal, I tell you! Fits two people… at least I’ve heard it does… and the jets do wonders… to your back I mean."  
You couldn’t help the frown at this display of early morning giddiness and the unrelenting stream of words. Jason’s glare towards his brother told you he was about to shut him up one way or another.

"Richard!" You growled sorely, in greeting as much as in warning, your eyes already fixated on the steaming mug held in his hands.  
"I’ll have that for you!" You grumbled, taking the freshly poured coffee right out of his hands, blatantly ignoring his gaze of disbelief. You noticed the Batman logo on the ceramic and grinned.  
"Obviously you don’t need it, Dick!"

While Jason’s eyes were lowered to the simple toast and eggs he was chewing on, you noticed the smirk on his features that he barely tried to cover up. The cup next to his plate read `Nightwing: Blüdhaven’s Vivacious Superhero!´ - it belonged to Dick, you knew that it was his favourite.

"I… what?" Dick asked incredulously, looking back and forth between the two of you. His radiant blue orbs growing as the silence stretched on. He reminded you of a fish on land. A very handsome fish.  
"This wouldn’t have happened last week!" He gasped mockingly. "He rubbed off on you! Y/N, I disapprove!" Pettily, Dick stalked over to pour himself a new cup, only to realize that there was no coffee left but just Alfred’s teapot. Dramatically he turned around with a scowl, both his hands on his hips before he pointed one index first at Jason than at you.

"You two… you really deserve each other!"

Once the fuming acrobat had left the room, closing the door behind him sharply with a twist of his hip you returned your gaze to Jason, who did nothing to hide his shit-eating grin.  
„You snatched his coffee, too didn’t ya?" You laughed out loud at his curt nod.

The both of you spent the reminder of the early morning in amiable silence, not once mentioning the last night. Jason was leafing through several newspapers to catch up on anything he might have missed before tossing you the important bits. Breakfast in your case consisted of nothing short but the last bit of Dick’s cereals - you couldn’t resist. Somehow this felt beautifully right.

By the time Alfred arrived during early noon you’d already forgotten about any worries and your involuntary comic appearance, feeling quite chipper yourself.  
"Good morning, Miss Y/N, Jason! I see you’re doing just fine. Wonderful to have you back!"He conversed politely while preparing another pot of coffee and pouring himself a cup from the teapot that had remained untouched till then.

"Such a nice outfit, Miss Y/N!" He spared you a knowing glance. "Master Richard truly has a sense of fashion, doesn’t he?" A barely there curl of his upper lip confirmed that it was indeed true what he’d implied.  
"I knew it!" You groaned and threw your other companion a dirty look when he snickered behind The Gotham Observer.  
"She already got back at him good, Alfred!" He could barely contain his mirth at the memory.  
"Did she now?" The butler’s raised eyebrow was to be taken as a compliment you understood.

"Howsoever," Alfred continued, joining the two of you at the table, in his usual poised manner and smelling of Bergamotte. "I’m afraid I must break this get-together up for I ought to inform you that your presence is required in the cave, Jason! I will keep Y/N company, so you need not worry."  
Jason threw him a glance that you couldn’t quite interpret as his mood changed drastically to a much more professional demeanor, folding the newspaper in his hands up.

"Did Barb find anything new?" He asked, swiftly drowning the remaining drops of liquid in his mug.   
"I believe so!" Alfred promised and you watched the exchange with big eyes.

"This is not about Lupo, I hope! ‘Cause if it is…" You snarled, searching Jason’s face. His facade tended to slip easier than Alfred’s, you’d found out early on during your acquaintance with the bat family. In fact, all of his siblings were better liars than Jason.

His nose twitched, almost scrunching but he caught himself, his eyes now fixating on you. Trying to ignore the effect that his piercing gaze had on you, you tried not to surrender and look away. It was a lost cause from the start but one could hope, you mused while averting your eyes after withstanding mere seconds. You couldn’t help the pout forming on your lips. It was moments like these that made you fear the man in front of you - or rather the control he was able to wield over you. Was he aware of it?

"If I tell you it’s not, would you believe me?" Out of the corner of your eyes you saw his shoulders sag somewhat defeatedly. You shook your head no, not trusting to speak. Alfred’s gaze remained upon his tea although you knew he was observing both of you, interpreting and probably judging.

"If I tell you that it is, would you at least trust me to handle this, Y/N?" He asked hoarsely and you watched a faint tremor in his right arm as he clenched and unclenched his fists.

You swallowed the lump in your throat.

"Jay, I want to take him down, too. At least as badly as you do! I want this asshole down on his knees and begging me to not make him chew on his own dick. I don’t want to be excluded!" You found his eyes on yours again, this time their intensity lowered to something much softer. If there was someone who’d understand, it was him, right? He smiled lopsidedly down at you, arms crossed across his chest and you wondered how a man in his sleepwear could pull off this sort of domineering presence. Big as a tank he may be.

"Well, then you gotta take my word for it, this ain’t ‘bout Mason and his goons." He was lying, you knew that and felt your fingernails dig into your palms in sheer frustration.  
Somewhat beseechingly he added "I’ll make him grovel at your feet if that’s what you want, sugar!"

You didn’t say a word, just tried to burn holes into the tabletop and ignored the shared, knowing nod between the two men present. Alfred had just been appointed your babysitter, knowing better than to try and talk to you right then.

Jason turned, heading for the door when the butler spoke up once more.

"Oh Jason, if you intend to continue sharing Y/N’s bed for the next few days of her stay here, be kind and spare this old man the work of having to make yours too, would you?"  
There was no answer but a hesitating glance backwards and what you assumed was a blush at having been discovered.

"Don’t worry, he sure as hell won’t be sharing my anything, anytime soon!" You maliciously bit out, feeling more than just a little mean-spirited at the one man whom you’d believed had your back.

He was gone within another second, the door falling heavily into its lock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow... so... yeah... um... Jay's kind of a dick, isn't he? Well, we know he his, so duuhhh... part of his charm I guess.  
> And Dick? He doesn't know when to shut up. ;)  
> Well, there was some domesticated fluff here but I guess this idyllic scene is about to end... not sorry.  
> Next Wednesday there'll be some serious alpha male issues and a lot of frustration. :D
> 
> As always, kudos and comments much appreciated. :)


	7. The Taming of the Shrew

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's keep this simple: "No, he didn't!"   
> But yes, in fact he did... several times...

_No woman really wants a man to carry her off; she only wants him to want to do it._   
(Elizabeth Peters)

 

Alfred was following you at a moderate pace towards your car that parked in front of the Wayne manor. The beaten up vehicle was faithfully awaiting, just where you’d left it days ago and for a second you wondered why the butler refrained from even trying to stop you from leaving.

It became clear once you tried to start the engine, Alfred watching with a non-judgemental stare.

The motor was not rearing to life like it usually would.

After trying for minutes, you even opened the hood to take a look inside -only to find that you had not a single idea what you were even looking for. Heaving a sigh you turned back to your companion.

"He didn’t, did he? He wouldn’t, right?" You were jabbing your index finger into Alfred’s chest, seething and not even trying to hide it. The man’s sole action was to pat your hand, as if in apology.

"Jason’s got quite a talent with engines!" Was his answer, almost spoken proudly, as if it explained anything at all.

"This has got to be a joke - please, tell me it’s a joke!" Moaning you trudged back up the stairs.

"Are you going to hold me hostage?"

"I’m sure, Miss Y/N, that Master Bruce does not intend anything the likes and as for the boy… he just wants to make sure you’re out of harms way. He blames himself for what happened during your mission." He halted for a second but as much as you didn’t want to listen to his explanation of Jason’s deeds, you couldn’t help it.

"He tends to blame himself for many things, most of which are far beyond his powers."

Both of you were walking the corridors, as you already planned to give Jason a piece of your mind. It was then that you felt Alfred’s hand on your shoulder, stopping you and turning you around to face him.

"Jason is good, Y/N! He doesn’t believe that but that doesn’t render it less true. He’s grown into a formidable young man if I may congratulate myself, despite everything that happened and he had some serious hardships. He doesn’t love easily but if he does then fiercely. However, he doubts his own worth. You should keep in mind that he’s to be handled delicately."

You grunted in answer, still furious and fed up with these men patronizing you.

"I think you’re twisting your interpretation of the asshole’s act of excluding me from my very OWN mission, Alfred!" Your voice thundered through the hallways and you didn’t even try to keep it down.

"All I’m asking is to be a part of this! I’m aware that Bruce doesn’t trust me fully, neither do you, I assume and that’s okay - we’re acquaintances, not friends. This bullshit isn’t about friendship but about working together on a case that I came to you with, because I’m not suicidal. I am fully aware that I’m not cut out to handle this alone. I excepted that you’d take the lead and I accepted it to the point of agreeing to follow it."

 

For a second you tried to catch your breath there, noticing that despite your usual composed manner, there were actually stray tears blurring your view on your watchdog. Sniffling you continued, ignoring the feeling of being watched by more than one pair of eyes.

"I’m not a child to be put into place and I’m certainly not an ignorant, untrained civilian. I’ve lived this sort of life for several years now, albeit Lupo being the biggest fish for me yet. I do NOT accept to be treated like this. And if Jason thinks I’ll let him whip me into behaving like a good little girl, I refuse. I did not come to you guys for some asshole alpha male bidding me around. This is a partnership or it’s nothing at all."

Swallowing you turned, knowing you’d find the object of your rant watching you intently even before laying eyes on him. You’d noticed a familiar painting in your line of sight the second you stopped your tirade. You’d passed the eery work of art, displaying a cluster of bats rising, just yesterday when leaving Bruce’s office.

Standing cooly, leaning in the doorway, gaze cold and unmoved, his face was a motionless mask. He’d changed out of his comfy clothing and had geared up, the only thing missing really was the helmet. Even his guns were already in place.

"You see Y/N, that’s exactly the point: this is NOT a partnership!" You’d never heard him speak more icily.

"I was using you for bait and you couldn’t even pull that simple task off. Got drugged and caught. Had me almost killed in an explosion and then all ya could do was cry your eyes out over getting almost raped." He shook his head as if unnerved, arms crossed over his chest and a sneer on his lips.

"Jay?" You asked carefully, not believing your ears.

"And once we got out of that fucking hellhole all you do is bitch around. I was trying to be nice about this! I’m fed up! I don’t need a ball and chain. If you’re no good with accepting shit then you better learn to accept that you’re out of this operation. You’re a burden. You weren’t even able to rewire your fucking car. What good would you be able to do, huh?"

His adam’s apple bopped once but your eyes were trained on his nose which wouldn’t scrunch at all.

"You didn’t even say thanks properly last night! For what you put me through you could have at least spread ya legs or sucked my dick, don’t ya think? You didn’t seem to object when your target wanted to get in your panties, so no need to play prude, princess!"

"Are you fucking kidding me, Todd?" You whispered, afraid to burst into tears of rage the smell of salt already on your tongue.

"Damn straight, I’m serious!" He hissed right back at you.

"You’ll be staying out of this, I tell you and Bruce agrees, too. Get your shit together, princess and sit out the next few days here at the manor. Tim will retrieve some proper clothing for you, be nice and say thanks to him, he offered to be the errand boy. And DON’T look at me like that!"

He bellowed dangerously and his head tilted in mockery.

"Like what, Todd?" You couldn’t help it, you really tried but you couldn’t stop yourself.

"Like I want to beat you to a fucking pulp with a crowbar? Because you’re asking for it!"

Your eyes widened in shock at yourself and your hands went to cover your lips, as if you could take back what you’d just said. His sneer didn’t even slip you noted.

"No, princess! Like you’re about to jump and hump me!"

There he’d gone and done it. Your regret might have as well flown out of the next window, as did any sort of sympathy you’d felt for him till then. Alfred’s awkward cough didn’t change that.

Taking a deep breath, you straightened to your full height and nodded. If you’d learned one thing during your life, it was that sometimes one needed to act somewhat docile to get out of sticky situations without making a complete fool of oneself.

"You know what, Jason?" You put on your best smile. "You’re right about one thing: I AM out of this farce but you better not believe that I’m staying here, so spare your brother the way. I’m leaving the manor by car or by foot, I don’t care. It’s not that far a walk."

Turning on your heel you ignored any further comment, as well as the heated discussion you were aware of was taking place. You swiftly made your way to the room you’d spent the last night in blissful ignorance, to grab your few personal belongings.

The young woman looking back at you out of the bathroom mirror didn’t much remind you of yourself.Your reflection looked pale, red-eyed, wild-haired and all around more vulnerable than you’d have liked. You were capable of kicking butts of men twice your weight, after all. And you were going to make sure that Jason Todd would be one of them, in the near future.

Washing your face, soapy smell comforting you, you were aware of a distant roar, sounding much like the Batwing rising to the stratosphere, the same moment as a faint clicking sound at your door.

"No, he didn’t!" You whispered, mortified!

"I’m SO sorry, Y/N!" It was Tim’s voice that you heard through the sealed door, the second you skidded to a halt in front of it. 

"Tim?" You asked hesitantly. "You there?"

You heard him move about just outside, he did not seem to like this situation much either.

"Yeah! You know that I’m not letting you out, right?"

"I figured so much, Tim!" Sighing, you sunk to the floor, back resting against the wooden door, wondering how it was possible that you’d misjudged your fellow Gotham vigilantes this badly.

"No use trying to take down the door either, you know that, right?" He asked quizzically.

"I’m aware that it has a steel core, Tim! I’d been wondering why…" It felt like giving up to admit this.

"The windows…"

"Yeah, I know, Tim!"

You closed your eyes and heard him sigh softly beyond the barrier between you.

"You be staying with me, bird boy?"

"I’ll be staying with you - for a while at least!" He confirmed.

"Thanks, Tim!"

"I’m sorry!"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gods... I've had my problems posting this chapter as a standalone because actually there's a counter part to this one from Jay's pov. So yeah... don't cha get ya panties in a twist, there's a reason he's being a pretentious asshole, albeit he shouldn't have... but... hmmm... you'll see.  
> But Tim... WHY oh why Timbo? 
> 
> Aaaand should you be planning on reading the sequel to Thin Lines (which consists of pure Smut only, so be warned...), please take note of the underlying sexual tension here to lighten up your day, several of their comments are build up for what's gonna go down between da sheets later on. :D
> 
> Anyways, if ya don't wanna leave Kudos or Comments on this I totally understand, omg. No worries... this is a total happy end fic - just some drama inbetween. Saturday's chapter will be sweeter - promise!


	8. A Pennyworth for your Thoughts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Alfred, why did Bruce order to lock me up?"  
> "I thought you’d have figured out by now... Master Bruce merely consented to this measure to avoid further discord!"  
> "Should have guessed… HE’S even more of an asshole than I was aware of."

_Atticus told me to delete the adjectives and I’d have the facts._  
(Harper Lee in To Kill a Mockingbird)

 

Sometime during the later evening, after being painstakingly accurate with safety measures when delivering you your dinner, Alfred took Tim’s place in front of your room. You heard them talk quietly and then Tim’s footsteps slowly fading, probably heading out to patrol Gotham. You assumed that Bruce and Jason had left together, maybe they’d even brought Dick or Damian along. So it might just be that Tim was more or less on his own for the coming night. Your fingers itched at the thought.

"Are you awake, Y/N?" The butler asked and you could just imagine him sitting out there, poised and still as a statue, awaiting your answer. Out of boredom you didn’t fake sleep and answered.  
"Yes, I am! Though I’m quite tired from taking the room apart in search of an escape route."   
A dry chuckle was your answer.   
"I told them that you would not sit quietly and wait for their return. I assume you did not find a way out?"

"No, you did good work on the safety measures. So much for being held hostage, huh?" You admitted and laughed out loud, somehow finding something funny about this... or maybe rather ironic.  
"Alfred, why did Bruce order to lock me up?"   
"I thought you’d have figured out by now." His tone was scolding. "Master Bruce merely consented to this measure to avoid further discord!"  
"Should have guessed…" You mumbled. "HE’S even more of an asshole than I was aware of."

A deep sigh was your only answer for a good minute or two, before a stool leg scratched over the flooring and Alfred cleared his throat.  
"He’s head over heels in love with you, Y/N!" Alfred reprimanded and you couldn’t help the unladylike snort escaping you when Jason’s steely gaze from before appeared before your inner eye, accompanied by a cold shudder running down your spine. He’d looked menacing, almost vicious.

"Both of you are concentrating on your own flaws so much… Neither of you seems to notice that the other is asking for nothing but a little trust." Why you had the impression that the old man on the other side spoke out of experience you didn’t know.   
"He’s not in love with me!" A sort of melancholic amusement made your stomach twist painfully when you remembered the insults you’d traded mere hours ago. He’d literally told you that he had had expected repayment for saving your ass, in form of sexual favors. No guy with a brain would ask this of someone they were supposedly in love with. What had felt like a direct blow to your ego hurt only more knowing that the night before you’d have willingly given into any advances on his part.

"Such a thin line between love and hate, Y/N and sometimes it blurs - I believe this is called passion!" Came the butler’s mysterious reply. "You weren’t holding back either, right?" He asked and you shamefully nodded into your empty room, forgetting for a second that your conversational partner was not able to see.  
"I honestly didn’t mean to say that, Alfred!" You admitted and felt your eyes water the second time this day. "I’m not usually like this but I felt so frustrated and betrayed."  
"That was the point, child!" He sighed deeply as if letting you in on a secret and you heard his chair creek as he leaned back. Settling deeper into the cushions on the bed and feeling somewhat like in the Princess and the Pea (poked by negative thoughts in your case) you closed your eyes, remembering the first night you’d been trapped with Jason as only companion besides vermin and rodents.

_You had a bad case of hangover and headache from the knockout drops but what was even worse was the lowering temperature the later the night. The floor was hard and nothing short of plain dirty and you’d only scrapped some rags and an old card box to lie on. Clearly there was no intact heating, if there ever had been any. You shuddered and shivered and your teeth had probably rattled like a typewriter, clad in only the shabby pieces of clothing Jason had found for you during the getaway.  
_ _Sleep wouldn’t reel you in, that is until you found yourself wrapped in an unsuspected embrace all the sudden, your companion’s body heat almost burning your icy skin. You faintly remembered stuttering a wholeheartedly thanks at him before his deep, rhythmic breaths lulled you to sleep._

"The boy never learned to handle these sort of situations appropriately!“ Alfred’s soft words drifted over and distractedly you watched your fingers curling and uncurling in your lap. "His father-figure isn’t the sociable type, despite the mask he puts on in front of people."

_After waking with hurting limbs and a stiff neck, you appreciated the warm body enveloping yours even more. Not able to tell whether it was day or nighttime and feeling somewhat foggy-headed you refrained from moving too much and just opened your eyes, noticing Jason’s bare forearm curled under you. He was still breathing deeply, occasional soft snores affirming his slumber._  
_Your eyes had somewhat adjusted to the half-light and you became aware that you’d never given his scars much thought. They were a part of him that you’d noticed but never minded. An exceptionally thick ridge of whiteish scar tissue was stretching across the solid muscled limb right in front of you. Surrounding it were many more but smaller and fading lines, like spider webs ghosting his pale skin. You traced the long mark with your fingertips._  
_"That’s from a compound fracture, I was fourteen and overestimated my acrobatic ability!" He rasped and you twitched in surprise._  
_"Did you try one of Dick’s impossible maneuvers?" You giggled, trying to imagine a teenage Jason Todd, pimply faced, gangly and set on surpassing the older brother figure to gain his adoptive father’s trust. His snort was answer enough and you felt him draw his arm out from under you._  
_Sensing the sensitivity of the issue you pulled back the hem of your sweatshirt, ignoring your companions irritated gaze as he leaned back on a wall._  
_"Here!" You said, pointing to your side where there was a year old burn still inflamed red, it looked horrendously large in your eyes. "I got this when I tried to repair my last car. Should have guessed that one doesn’t simply take apart a motor, especially if it had no time to cool down. I don’t even know a thing about cars!" Your grim smile lightened up slightly when he guffawed but you couldn’t help thinking what a hideous blemish it was. You’d looked at it many times in your bathroom mirror, knowing full well that the skin would probably never return to its former state._  
_"You got more?" Jason asked, suddenly a lot more serious._  
_"Yeah… You saw ‘em, didn’t you?" It was moments like these that you wished for the life of an ordinary twenty-something woman and not that of a vigilante, meeting ends by taking weird jobs, and the usual bruises, strains, broken bones or bloody noses._  
_He nodded in admittance and you were glad he didn’t pretend otherwise._  
_"Most of them are from the usual little brawls, you know how it goes!" Your right hand instinctively went to your thigh, where you knew could be made out your latest stitches, from when you’d saved a girl, no older then eighteen or nineteen from getting run over by her own step-mother for the inheritance of her deceased husband._  
_"What about the bullet in your shoulder?" Jason’s hooded eyes followed your hand to the mentioned spot. „It’s still in there and sometimes it stings!“ You informed him and familiar with the basics of his own story you knew why he’d asked specifically._  
_"That clown got lucky once, next time…" The threat was left to be hanging in the air. "In the end it wasn't all that bad, right?" Smiling you looked at him but his answer was a questioning stare._  
_"I met you guys, idiot!"  
_ _He merely rolled his eyes theatrically. "And look where we are!"_

Unsteadily you dragged yourself up from the bed, to make your way over to the bathroom. You hadn’t heard a word from Alfred for the last few minutes, so on your way you stopped at the large door that was restricting you to these quarters, and leaned your forehead against it.

"Alfred?"  
"Yes, Miss Y/N?" His immediate response made you smile.  
"If it’s true what you said,“ You cleared your throat. "I mean about Jason purposely provoking me, why didn’t he just ask me to stay put, or give me a small task at least? I feel pretty useless right now."  
A second ticked by before the butler answered with a question.  
"He asked you once and you told him off for suggesting it. Would you have listened the second time?"  
Groaning, you bumped your head against the solid material once, then twice before biting your lower lip in frustration.

"May I ask you about your feelings for Jason?" The inquiry shouldn’t have caught you by surprise but it did and you gasped audibly. "Don’t think that I’m asking out of pure curiosity. I like your spirit, Y/N but I need to know that I won’t be picking up even more shards. This is a fragile state of normalcy we’re pertaining currently - this family is used to sorrow and suffering. The breakage point is always close and sometimes closer. There is no need to pursue it actively."

But what exactly were your feelings for Jason, you mused. 

_Awaking to harsh movement and soft moans, you felt disoriented. It was the jarring chill from the floor that woke you completely to your surroundings and trashing partner._  
_Sucking in a breath, you found yourself staring at the painfully scrunched up features of Jason, who was crying almost silently, all four limbs moving spastically. You’d never seen your handsome knight in armor anything close to this and you couldn’t help but see a much younger version of himself, hopelessly trying to free himself from imaginary bounds._  
_"Oh god, Jay!" You whimpered yourself and sat up, carefully trying to raise him out of his nightmare by softly running your fingertips threw his hair._  
_"Jason, wake up please!" His name was a mantra on your lips, even when you cradled his stilled form against you and you felt his trembling hand on your back in a hug._  
_"I’m sorry, Jay!"  
_ _"Don’t stop?" He asked, haunted eyes looking up at you and you continued to massage his scalp. You both fell asleep long after whilst you were thinking about how you wished you could do anything, everything really, to make his pain go away._

"Y/N?" Alfred asked more softly, consequently interrupting your train of thought.  
"Can I ask you something before answering your question?" You knew you sounded teary but couldn’t find it in you to care. Before there was any kind of reaction you continued.  
"What if I have feelings for him? What then? If he truly returns them, then will he lock me up every time he feels like it? Like I’m some sort of bothersome inconvenience that’s only good to warm his bed? If that’s what it is to him then I must say no, I don’t!"  
You were surprised that your tears were falling silently at the prospect of throwing everything you’d gone threw together away.

_Your were softly stroking his hair, fingertips sometimes gliding lower to enjoy the sensation of the rough stubble growing on his jawbone. A soft tune was stuck in your head and you hummed along, careful not to wake the sleeping man whose head you supported in your lap._ _Ever since you’d noticed motion atop your current prison, assuming it was either help or enemy, you’d taken to take turns of sleeping. And you slept a lot, both of you, albeit it not being a restorative sleep at all. There just wasn’t much else to do. A crashing sound had you wincing and halt in your ministrations.  
_ _"Don’t stop!" He demanded and his hooded gaze met yours, one of his hands catching your own to pull it back. You felt happiness bubble up inside you and you grinned at him even though he’d closed his eyes again. Despite the circumstances you wouldn’t mind staying in this moment for a long, long time to come._

"Then I must ask you whether it would make a difference, if there was a good enough reason for him not wanting you on that mission, or not." He paused. "Would it?"  
"I… I don’t know!" The lump in your throat only seemed to grow. "It might… I… I’d ask you for the facts. I cannot make a decision based on assumptions."

"I see…" Alfred’s reply was sympathetic and you guessed he’d never expected a direct answer but had only manipulated you to doubt your perception of what had happened.  
"Well now, it is not my place, nor my right to assert any decisions made!" He concluded and you heaved a frustrated sigh.

You should have seen that coming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay... so guess what?  
> I've actually written some more parts for a coming chapter, resulting in the lengthening of mentioned chapter and me splitting it... Then I've gone and written something akin to a long Epilogue... umm... I guess we're up to 12 chapters now and I feel ridiculous for putting you through this. XD
> 
> Well, other than that I hope you guys had fun with Alfred being the most intelligent human being of the Batfam (emotionally and socially spoken) and I apologize for the fact that there was only a little flashback-Jay in here. Babe is gonna return next chapter from his little solo trip and he's got some serious explaining to do. Explaining does not cure social incompetence though, sorry!
> 
> Also, in next Wednesday chapter there's a bonus, 'cause I wanted (read: needed) to grant you a short preview of the multiple chapter smut sequel (a very tame preview) which will be uploaded over the course of the weekend of 20th to 22nd of July. And good lord cheezus, it's so fucking dirty, I can barely put my mind around it... I cannot believe this came outta my head... wait... yes, I actually do believe that and I'm not even feeling any shame... :D
> 
> xoxo, MM


	9. The Regret of the Passionate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> „What the actual fuck?“  
> "It’s a gift!"  
> "You didn’t think this would make up for what you did, right?"  
> "A guy can hope, can’t he?"

_You can always tell what kind of a person a man really thinks you are by the earrings he gives you._  
(Audrey Hepburn)

 

The next morning came quickly and with it the sort of weather that made you want to curl up in bed and forget about the gray and bleary world outside. Not that there was much to do for you anyhow besides waiting. You noticed that someone had been inside your room while you were asleep. A bundle of clothes lay on a chair, attached to it a note and on the small table awaited you your breakfast, as well as a thermos jug full of black coffee and a few cheesy romance novels to choose from.   
You were unsure whether to feel offended or just concede the fact that everyone here knew of your guilty pleasure.

The note was written in Tim’s sloppy scrawl and artfully signed with a stain, smelling awfully like salsa. He’d felt the need to clarify that he had not gone through your girl stuff and that Stephanie had undertaken this task. You were thankful to find not only (matching!) underwear and some casual pieces of clothing to choose from but also a set of training clothes. Not that there was much to do pent-up as you were, but some shadow boxing and bodyweight training hadn’t ever hurt you guessed.

By early afternoon you’d already executed a harsh training regime and were thankful for the bathtub, Dick's words from a day before haunting you. Soaking in the warm water, surrounded by white foam mountains and rising bubbles, you were almost through one of the novellas and feverishly feeling with the heroine who’d just discovered that the man she had fallen into love with was a hideous monster whose only cure was bedding her, his one true love. In all honesty? Even you had to admit that it was a nastily sexed up version of Beauty and the Beast. Say fetish anyone? Kinky? Yes, please!

Most of all it was a remarkably distracting pastime and did wonders to calm your temper. Your hand was already reaching for the faucet, to draw some more hot water when you noticed movement in the adjoining bedroom. You halted and remained quiet. A door fell back into its lock and you shrugged disenthralled, now too sidetracked to continue reading.  
You hadn’t heard or seen anything from Alfred apart from the breakfast tray in the morning and you guessed he was busy, maybe though he’d come to bring you lunch.

Rising out of the water you quickly dried off and worked through your freshly washed hair with a detangling brush before blow-drying it to semidryness and pulling on a pair yoga pants and a tanktop. Relaxed as may be and still wrinkly from the hours long bath you felt ready and set to face the reminder of the day and spend it with the definitive happy endings that your reads would provide you with.

What you had not expected upon entering the bedroom was company. One of the two men present kneeled in a wet spot on the hardwood floor, gagged, blindfolded and badly beaten up. The matted hair a reddish color of dried blood and full of crusty crumps and flakes. You blinked at Jonathan Mason’s desperate whimper when he heard you enter the room. Frantically he tried to move, only succeeding in toppling over and landing sideways in the puddle he’d made.

 

The paperback slipped from your hand and hit the floor, effectively waking you out of your shocked state. You raised your head and into your line of sight came the bright red helmet worn by none other than a lounging Jason Todd, chilling on one of the armchairs as casual as can be. He’d lowered the book he’d snatched for reading to his knee („Batboy and the Lady“ - what a joke) and was drumming on it with his fingers. His foot tapping in the same tact told you that he was nervously awaiting some kind of reaction and not half as calm and collected as he tried to make you believe.  
Your eyes flickered to the heavy gun he’d drawn, holding it at a safe distance to be able to quickly dispose of the man lying in front of your feet in fetal position.

„What the actual fuck?“ You asked hoarsely, wisely refraining from using any names, so as not to have Mason’s brains splattered on you in an instant. You’d just enjoyed that bath after all.  
Mason shuddered upon hearing your voice.

"It’s a gift!" Red Hood’s distorted voice told you and you blinked stupidly. Was he being serious?  
"I told you I’d make him grovel at your feet, if that is your wish!" He told you and you could not make out whether his voice was tinted with amusement at your astonishment or not.  
"Yeah? You want me to suck your cock, right here and now? Or should I thank you properly and spread my legs, huh?" You hissed, your pissy mood returning partly.

The tapping stopped for a second, only to continue more vigorously seconds later. He looked somewhat ashamed, slumping in the chair he was sitting in like he’d taken a hit to the guts. But it was hard to tell.

"You didn’t think this would make up for what you did, right?" You asked quizzically.  
"A guy can hope, can’t he?" He replied, clearly unconvinced of his own argumentation. Shifting in his seat he gestured towards Mason with the cocked gun.

"You can do whatever you want with him, sugar. Lock him up, bury him below a pile of rubble, make him chew his own dick or let him go. He’s all yours." His hopeful gaze could not even be concealed by the helmet and for a second he reminded you of a puppy wagging his tail, only that he was tapping his foot like a madman.

"Stop that!" You growled and he did immediately, his gaze lingering on you when you made your way around the sobbing mass on the floor, heeding your distance to not come in touch with what was left of the 180 pounds man. Your knees buckled the moment you reached the bed’s edge and you leant back, closing your eyes.

"This is a nightmare!" You grumbled into the room and were rewarded by a sob from Mason who seemed to profoundly agree with your conclusion.  
"Tell me when I open my eyes you’re gone and so is that piece of shit and I can go back to cursing your goddamn ass." The unpleasant mix of smells wafting over from your former tormentor made you gag slightly. Sweat, excrements, a tangy after-shave and something you couldn’t quite put your finger on. Why’d your nose have to be this good? Right now you wished you could rip out your olfactory nerves or at least glue it shut.

"No can do, sugar!" Was the only reply this time and you heard him shuffle as he carefully put the book back on the tabletop. An abrupt sound of something hard connecting with flesh and bone had you open your eyes and watch Red Hood’s fist return to his side. He’d knocked the other man unconscious.  
The scene reminded you strikingly of something you’d seen in a documentation about orang utans just the evening before.

The red helmet hissed upon removal but was unceremoniously tossed towards the armchair while you stared at the broad, leather clad shoulders and messy mop of sweaty black hair. Your anger crepitated like a dying bonfire and you propped yourself up on your elbows to watch him. He turned slowly, gaze lowered as if awaiting some sort of scolding but he remained standing straight and firm. He looked nothing less than your personal dark knight right then and there and you realized that you were hopelessly and inevitably falling in love with him.

"You’ve got some explaining to do, Todd!" You informed him in what was a neutral tone you hoped.  
"But first, would you mind getting rid of 'that'? I mean I’ve finally had the time to do my nails and shit, I ain’t gonna fuck my manicure up for that lowlife." You really couldn’t care less what happened to the man, you’d been intend on destroying only yesterday. Somehow the importance of that task had evaporated alongside your fury. 

 

 

 

 

> PREVIEW of the Thin Lines Smut Sequel (or TLSS I like to call it) which will be uploaded over the course of 20th to 22nd July.
> 
> You quickly entered through the backdoor of your hideout making sure no one suspicious was lurking nearby. There was nothing in sight besides an old man walking his dog alongside the window front of the laundromat that made up the ground floor of the building you’d withdrawn to. Turning to let the door fall shut resulted in a much too cliché, dooming sound of being locked into a room with an axe-wielding madman. Well, this certainly was not Overlook hotel judging from the reinforced door and hidden armory but you wouldn’t be surprised to find an axe hidden somewhere around.
> 
> You gulped but shifted to face your companion nonetheless. Better make no joke about Nicholson’s performance you guessed. Jason was seething… and he’d been in this mood for a good while now, barely holding his temper for the whole trip across the city. You’d noticed the second that you’d wrapped your arms around his tense torso, the way he’d basically launched his bike into a power wheelie and if that hadn’t been a dead giveaway the manner in which he’d strutted up the stairs, death glare right in place, certainly was.
> 
> He took a step closer, towering above you and clearly very much aware of his power move for there was not a muscle in his body that was not poised to intimidate right then.  
>  "Say you’re mine!" His voice was harsh, strained and demanding. He was visibly trying to hold himself back from even only touching you or worse giving in to caressing you and letting go of his fury before venting and making use of it.
> 
> Tonight was going to be only about him, his jealousy and all that anger he had felt in the past and would feel from time to time to come. This night was only about proving your love for him, just as there were other nights when he’d prove his by playing you like a fiddle and making you writhe in ecstasy. Sure, you’d soon be writhing and you’d be in ecstasy for certain but this was just… not going to be one of your usual passionate or sweet episodes of love-making.
> 
> This was about so much more and you gladly took the sort of punishment he was about to dish out even though you were far from guilty of any crime. You couldn’t even remember looking at another man but such was Jason’s nature after all those losses, all those people taken from him, all the appreciation taken from him at such a young age. Everyone had walked away from him at one time or another...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy 4th of July you guys. It's a short chap and I'm sorry bout that but it wouldn't have worked out otherwise.  
> Besides, I do hope you liked the preview of what's gonna cum. Oh... excuse my wording here. :D
> 
> Anyways, I'm feeling slightly devastated today thanks to the whole wedding debacle. Okay, so there were the spoilers but I'd hoped, seriously HOPED that DC would prove us all wrong. They didn't... In fact they made it SO much worse. How DARE they even announce to publish an official wedding album in September?! I don't get it. What for?  
> If not even Bruce Wayne gets to marry the love of his life, is there any hope for the likes of us? DC legit destroyed my faith in love and marriage. Take that. And NO I'm not being overly dramatic here, okay?
> 
> What's even worse is the new RHATO story arc. God knows I'm so fucking pissed right now and afraid that my baby's gonna get hurt... again and by none other than his batdad. What the hell?  
> Sorry, had to rant here. Anyone have any good news concerning the DCU? If so please share! All this misery is really killin my mood.


	10. A Comedy of Errors (I)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "What did you do to him?"  
> "Oh you know…"  
> "You’re an idiot! ... So, tell me then. Why did you act like an overbearing asshole, Todd?"

_It is not for me to judge another man’s life. I must judge, I must choose, I must spurn, purely for myself. For myself, alone._  
(Hermann Hesse in Siddharta)

He’d returned a good two hours later. Showered but still unshaven and raking his fingers through the three-day beard he sported. He didn’t seem to like it much was your impression as you watched him standing in the doorway and awaiting your allowance to enter.

His armory he’d traded for loose jeans and a shirt, bare feet shuffled on the flooring and he appeared nothing short of exhausted.

You’d cleaned up the mess from earlier the best you could only to take another shower afterwards to scrub away the disgust and nauseation.

Lying on your bed in very much the same position as before but holding the novella in one hand, you ignored Jason for the moment, fully aware of his silent suffering as you turned another page and another while repeatedly sighing softly when the now handsome and very much dominant male swept the heroine up for a not very chaste but very wet kiss that ended with a lot of groping and humping and her impregnation after a long, explicit passage that left you feeling slightly hotter and a lot dirtier than you’d have liked. And they lived happily ever after…

You put away the paperback and stared at the man, leaning against the doorframe and watching you intently with a dark gaze.

"What did you do to him?" Not that you really cared, knowing that he’d never have let the man have walked away. Lupo would never again be a threat to you, that you were quite sure of.

"Oh you know…" He spoke hoarsely. "Imprisoned him with some of the worst cases who will be either using him as a punching bag or their personal bitch. It really depends on him. Though I pledge the second."

"Well, that was nice of you!" Shock was evident on his features in answer to your exclamation.

"I mean, you could’ve just…" You sat up before shrugging your shoulders and taking one hand to your temple as if you were holding a gun and pulling a trigger.

"Bang Bang, you’re dead!"

"No, that's not what I did!" Dark humor laced his words as he averted his gaze, not daring to look at you when you tried to meet his eyes.

It was clear that he wouldn’t answer if you didn’t ask, wouldn’t expect you to cope with whatever he’d done to feel even the slightest bit of guilt when it came to a guy like Lupo.

  
"What?" You did anyhow, shuddering as he finally looked up again. If you’d ever thought him look menacing, it had been nothing against the coldness in his eyes then and the sadistic smirk that curled his upper lip.

"I took something from him that he won’t be needing anymore." He cryptically answered and finally entered the room without your consent. You swallowed hard as you watched him lazily prowl closer to your resting place.

"Jay…" You rasped, the smell that was purely him, all dark and strong was tingling your nose, the soft rustling of the hem of his jeans on the floor enough to send all your senses in overdrive.

"Don’t… He had it coming for him!" He was breathing hard and you were unsure whether a stray tear ran down his cheek. His scent was engulfing you completely by now and you had to actively refrain from grabbing the waistband of his jeans and pull him closer.

"I’m a bad man, sugar! I tried to tell you that. I’m no good. I’m no Dick Grayson. You don’t want anything to do with me." He halted in front of you. Close enough that you had to tilt your neck back wide to even see his grim face. His smirk had changed into a crooked smile.

"You’re an idiot!"

He scowled at your words. Whatever he’d been awaiting to hear, this was clearly not what he’d anticipated. You ran your tongue over your dry lips and felt silly for wanting to forgive him and forget all that had happened so badly. There was just a little part of you that was not yet ready to surrender to all that bad boy charms he was putting on.

Clenching your teeth you leaned back again, somewhat away and out of the close proximity that made you want to beg him to take you into his arms.

"You look like shit, by the way! Those dark rings under your eyes are giving Tim a run for his money." You mumbled putting your forearm over your eyes so you wouldn’t get distracted by his deep stare that always left you feeling naked in every sense. A gruff laugh was your answer and the bedside dipped under his weight settling on the edge.

"There was no time for sleep…" His deep voice rumbled and you wondered what it would feel like to have him whisper sweet nothings into your ear. Your breath hitched when his thigh brushed yours but the touch was fleeting and then the mattress moved again as he comfortable laid back. Once again you were lying next to each other, side by side.

"So, tell me then. Why did you act like an overbearing asshole, Todd?" You turned your head sideways and noted him doing the same.  Your faces inches apart you were able to see him flinch slightly. 

"Remember how I asked if you would trust me to handle it?

 

"Jay, I want to take him down, too. At least as badly as you do! I want this asshole down on his knees and begging me to not make him chew on his own dick. I don’t want to be excluded!"

Her voice was sweet and yet there was an edge to it that made me realize that she wasn't going to make this easy for me, especially when she continued to try and stare me down.

I couldn’t have kept the smile from spreading on my lips if I’d wanted to but there was no helping it, I needed to appear somewhat resolute.

"Well, then you gotta take my word for it, this ain’t ‘bout Mason and his goons." The words were out of my mouth before I could even consider not lying to her. Trying to appease her, I added "I’ll make him grovel at your feet if that’s what you want, sugar!"

Her burning eyes left mine and I could barely hold back from sagging in relief. If she tried to break this facade I’d been trying to uphold just once more… god knows I’d be her slave. Alfred’s affirmative nod ripped me out of my reverie and I barely stopped myself from storming out of the room and banging the door in a dramaturgic act.

"Oh Jason, if you intend to continue sharing Y/N’s bed for the next few days of her stay here, be kind and spare this old man the work of having to make yours too, would you?"

Alfred’s remark had me halt completely and I felt my face heat up. Goddamn it, sometimes he acted as if I was an impertinent and foolish teenager still.

"Don’t worry, he sure as hell won’t be sharing my anything anytime soon!" There was basically venom dripping from Y/N’s words and I couldn’t even blame her. I’d totally brought this on myself. Fuck, I had to get outside out of this room, so I did.

Taking a second to calm my heart from jumping right out my chest, I leaned on the solid wood behind me for support.

"You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope." The whisper had passed my lips before I was able to stop myself and a snickering to my side had me automatically scowling at the large, potted houseplant a few feet away. The youngest of our family of crazies stepped out of its shadows.

"Honestly, Todd? You’re such a sucker! Jane Austen is for girls." Damian’s smirk was set in place as usual and I rolled my eyes at him.

"So, that how you know it, brat?"  
He pouted slightly. "It was an assignment, Todd."  
"Right, demon spawn you’re still being home-schooled, huh? Bruce has not yet had the guts to let you loose." I ruffled his hair just the way I knew he hated with a passion.

"Look what happened last time!" He shot back and gestured to me. The bickering continued for the short walk to my room where he left me alone to get dressed before I headed to the cave. It helped to forget the fact that SHE was currently about to find out that I’d vandalized her car by demolishing the starter.

The meeting was of short-lived nature. Barbara had dug out all information about Mason, Kumar as well as their ties to Starling City and Gotham.

Just like we’d estimated Kumar was deeply indebted to the mobster and was his eyes, face and right hand for all sorts of dirty work. Lupo himself was one son among many of a mafia-clan and was trying to assure his position in the family business by taking over the blackmarket of Gotham.

"There’d be no reason to interfere, he’s shovelling his own grave!" Dick concluded and I couldn’t help but agree. Mason had no idea what kind of storm he was raising. Gotham’s rogues would rip him apart without us having to lift a single finger.

"You make it sound like there’s more to it!" Tim stated before his attention returned to the screen he’d been monitoring.

"Because there is!" Barbara pushed her slipping reading glasses upwards and hefted her hard glare on Bruce.

"It’s HIM! It’s the Joker! He’s in the game. I don’t know how or why but Lupo had a meeting arranged and he walked out of the place alive and kicking. Missing not a single hair, as far as I can tell."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo... it's barely Saturday but I'm posting anyway cause I'm not sure whether I'll have the time to later or not. Got a shitload of work for the next few days and I can barely await my day off. Three days to go. Bah...
> 
> But anyway, whadda ya think? His reasoning did become somewhat clearer, no? There's more to it though... so next chapter is gonna be dirty and somewhat fluffy and SO much more Jaybird. :D


	11. A Comedy of Errors (II)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Do you forgive me, sugar?"  
> "Just this once, Jason!

_…as long as nothing happens between them, the memory is cursed with what hasn’t happened._  
(Marguerite Duras in Blue Eyes, Black Hair)

All of us fell quiet and I felt the panic rise that I usually shut away somewhere particularly deep in my mind. It broke loose like a hellfire and I swallowed hard.

"The girl that Mason and Kumar were talking about, the one that betters her allowance by escorting older men? She’s the daughter of Senator Corners who’s an influential member of a circle of politicians. If her father was blackmailed it could be disastrous for the budgeting in law enforcement. That will surely be in the Joker’s interest and would impede all the work we’ve done so far." Barbara halted in her speech her eyes somewhere far-off.

"It’s only a guess but if Mason or his henchman found the girl by luck there’s a chance that the Joker doesn’t know who she is and that is probably the sole basis of their deal. Right now Kumar keeps his head low and stays far away from his target. Mason’s still in Starling attending some family related business."

Again she pushed her glasses upwards and watched us apprehensively.

"So what are we going to do?" Her question was clearly directed at Bruce and Dick and I felt the usual anger bubble up at the prospect of being ignored in their decision making.

"You know what?" I heard myself growl viciously and their confused stares turn to me.

"I don’t care about the girl, go on and save her. Just be sure to shut that little rat Kumar up or he’ll tattle and it won’t do her no good."

Damian was already gearing up in the background and I couldn’t help the grim smile at his eagerness as Dick’s hand landed on my shoulder unsuspectedly accompanied by the sort of his toothy smiles that I knew were only a mask to hide his true feelings behind.

"So you’re going to pursue Lupo?" He asked carefully. "Alone?"  
I nodded and crossed my arms, raising myself to my full height.  
"And forfeit the chance to catch that wretched clown?"

"For fuck’s sake, don’t make this harder than it is, Dick!" I grumpily told him off and avoided Bruce’s stare. Whatever my decision, whatever I do, it wouldn’t be good enough. I would never make the right decision, I’m simply not able to. So at least I can fulfill the promise I gave that goddamn wench who keeps haunting my mind and impairs my ability to think clearly.

"If we move fast we can save the girl without attracting any attention whatsoever…" I heard Barb’s voice but my thoughts were far away. There was no way in hell that I’d let her accompany me if there was only so much as a fleeting chance that the clown or his goons could make an appearance.

The memory of the night she’d run into us while in the midst of a brawl was something I’d stored away safely in the depths of my mind. The way her eyes had widened in shock when the bullet pierced her skin, the cry of pain, the look of pure rage and fury and the way she’d single-handedly beaten several of the clown-mask wearing idiots with her bare hands before succumbing to unconsciousness. My instinctive decision to grab the girl and make a run for it even though HE’D just stepped onto the scene.

Later that night, watching over her beaten form wrapped in red stained bandages and soft white cotton sheets, I’d brooded over my copy of Edmond Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac.  
'She is mortal danger to all men. She is beautiful without knowing it, and possesses charms that she’s not even aware of. She is like a trap set by nature - a sweet perfumed rose in whose petals Cupid lurks in ambush! Anyone who has seen her smile has known perfection. She instills grace in every common thing and divinity in every careless gesture. Venus in her shell was never so lovely, and Diana in the forest never so graceful as my Lady when she strides through Paris.’  
I’d known I’d lose the fight right then and there. I’d just not realized that there’d be the slightest chance of her ever requiting these feelings. And who was I to deny that she’d better not.

"Tim, I need your help!" I whispered and his unimpressed stare did nothing to stop the bile from rising in my throat at the thought of what I was about to do. I’d have to steel myself. A glass full of water was quickly drowned before I inelegantly smashed it on the floor, earning myself several surprised and dirty looks. Taking a medium sized shard and weighing it in my palm I noted Bruce heading my way. No doubt that he would be trying to hold me back.

"Jason! Take the Batwing, it’s faster and Alfred can help you steer it." I blinked confusedly, all ferocity forgotten for a second.  
"Just don’t… do anything I wouldn’t do!" He added and I frowned.  
"You know, you could have just left it at that, old man and it’d have been a mighty mushy moment!" I told him in my best act of disappointed black sheep-son that I could muster at the moment.  
"I was talking about the Batwing!" He smirked at me with his cape flaunting up behind his form but the sharp edges of his face still unconcealed. I nodded, careful to not put too much enthusiasm into it.

Tim had left the cave already and would probably be waiting in position as I made my way upwards, the smooth glass pressed into my skin, its sharp edges not yet breaking the surface.  
I didn’t have to go far, hearing her voice bellowing down the corridor in front of the office. She was furious and she’d be even more so. A little part of me found pleasure in knowing how I’d rile her up.   
"…I’m not suicidal. I am fully aware that I’m not cut out to handle this alone. I excepted that you’d take the lead and I accepted it to the point of agreeing to follow it."

I silently opened the door, her back to me heaving from the deep breaths she was taking to calm herself. God knows, she was beautiful I thought as I pressed the shard deep into the calloused skin of my palms that was sure to give way soon. The pain would help to remain levelheaded... I hoped.

"I’m not a child to be put into place and I’m certainly not an ignorant, untrained civilian. I’ve lived this sort of life for several years now, albeit Lupo being the biggest fish for me yet. I do NOT accept to be treated like this. And if Jason thinks I’ll let him whip me into behaving like a good little girl, I refuse. I did not come to you guys for some asshole alpha male bidding me around. This is a partnership or it’s nothing at all."

Leaning against the doorframe I crossed my arms, hopefully hiding the red wetness now warming my hand and making it feel all slick. I trained a cold mask on my face and watched her eyes widen as she turned around. I couldn’t deny that there was a certain sick sort of pleasure I took in this. It was repayment for all the times she’d flirted with other men right in front of me, trading coquettish compliments with anyone but me. It was compensation for the power she held over me and I’d make her see that this worked both ways.

"You see Y/N that’s exactly the point: this is NOT a partnership! I was using you for bait and you couldn’t even pull that simple task off. Got drugged and caught. Had me almost killed in an explosion and then all ya could do was cry your eyes out over getting almost raped."  
I shook my head, though more at the ridiculousness of my own words. I’d definitely have to get better than that or she wouldn’t believe me.

"Jay?" Her soft voice contradicted the iron stare she had on me and I couldn’t help but press the offending piece of glass deeper into my own flesh to give me something else to concentrate on.

"And once we got out of that fucking hellhole all you do is bitch around. I was trying to be nice about this! I’m fed up! I don’t need a ball and chain. If you’re no good with accepting shit then you better learn to accept that you’re out of this operation. You’re a burden. You weren’t even able to rewire your fucking car. What good would you be able to do, huh?"

A sharp pain went through my whole arm, goodness I’d probably pressed the glass down to my bone right now and I had to refrain from wincing.

"You didn’t even say thanks properly last night! For what you put me through you could have at least spread ya legs or sucked my dick, don’t ya think? You didn’t seem to object when your target wanted to get in your panties, so no need to play prude, princess!"

Now I’d gone and dipped deeper into those dark fantasies of mine than I’d have liked. I swallowed hard.

"Are you fucking kidding me, Todd?" She hissed and I felt pure fury that there was not even a hitch in her voice. I needed her to break down, I wanted her to.

"Damn straight, I’m serious!" I bit back.  
"You’ll be staying out of this I tell you and Bruce agrees, too. Get your shit together, princess and sit out the next few days here at the manor. Tim will retrieve some proper clothing for you, be nice and say thanks to him, he offered so you’d not have to run around naked. And DON’T look at me like that!"

Her eyes had narrowed and she looked like she was about to kick me in the crotch. I sneered at the thought.  
"Like what, Todd? Like I want to beat you to a fucking pulp with a crowbar? Because you’re asking for it!"  
And yes, I knew that I’d asked for this but the moment the words had left her mouth, I was sure that I could feel actual ice creep through my veins. Not even her shocked features did anything to help it.

"No, princess! Like you’re about to jump and hump me!"  
There you go, damn wench. Why did she have to go and make me want to bent her over my knee and spank her like she deserved right now. I’d make sure her butt was glowing red like a motherfucking cherry on top of the cream before I’d give in to her begging.  
If it hadn’t been for Alfred’s cough distracting me it might have ended just that way.

"You know what, Jason?" She smiled at me. "You’re right about one thing: I AM out of this farce but you better not believe that I’m staying here, so spare your brother the way. I’m leaving the manor by car or by foot I don’t care. It’s not that far a walk."

I sighed once she was out of direct earshot, painfully aware of my bloodied hand and the massive erection that I could not hide from Alfred who’d only raised an eyebrow in question.

 

…I asked Alfred to take good care of you and flew of to Starling where that fucking madman with his bow waited for me with intel on Mason’s whereabouts. And that’s pretty much it, sugar!"

 

You couldn’t help the fear that had gripped you halfway through his recaption of events and you suspected that the short explanation of how Green Arrow had helped him capture Jonathan Mason was a censored version of what had gone down. Earlier you’d noticed the bruises along his biceps and the cut on his throat that looked like someone had been intend on beheading him.

"You went there all by yourself?" You asked, sighing defeatedly.  
"Sure did, but I wasn’t alone in the end." He slurred and you noticed how his eyes had closed halfway. There was another thing though that perturbed you.  
"But what about Bruce and the others?"

"Bruce and the brat have gone after some goons who got their paws on part of the cargo that we were after initially. Tim and Steph are guarding the girl. As for Dick and Barb… they're trailing that gropy son of a bitch Kumar. Dick takes this whole matter personal." The man by your side chuckled dryly, the whole bed shaking and you turned to your side while not letting him out of your eyes. His tired gaze met yours.

"How about you catch onto some sleep now?" You asked him carefully, not yet daring to even so much as touch him.

"That would be nice!" He mumbled, his deep breaths already promising the inevitable fall into deep slumber. A soft snore escaped him and you smiled somewhat wistfully before curling up yourself, half beside him, half wrapped across his heaving chest. Your legs tangled with his and you noted that his hand had crept around you and was now pulling you even closer with an iron grip.

"Do you forgive me, sugar?" His voice was raw and he was clearly more asleep than awake as you asked yourself exactly the same.

"Just this once, Jason!" You kissed the deep gash on his throat softly and buried one hand in the thick, damp locks of hair just how you knew he loved, before settling back on his chest, listening to his heartbeat steadily pounding, fingertips massaging circles on his scalp.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sweet batshit... now we're drawing to an end here. Basically, this chapter WAS the end at one time but there's an all fluffy epilogue coming up with some sexual tension thrown into the mix. Just for fun! :)
> 
> Anyone else don't think Jay won't go and do shit like that again? Let's be real, he totally will. We're talking slow process here dealing with his conditioned behaviour of handling his own demons - if ever!  
> Am I the only one who believes that this man is only ever going to put all that shit behind him if he'd have to care for a family, specifically a child? Cuz him handling Bizarro must be the cutest shit ever on earth. Daddy Hood! XD I'll never get over that!
> 
> Well, stay tuned for Saturday I guess.  
> XOXO


	12. Walking the Thin Line

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Mornin’ sugar!"  
> "It’s not morning though, barely evening."

_I seemed like a baby bird keeping its truly innocent animal lust hidden under its wing. I was being tempted, not by desire of possession, but simply by unadorned temptation itself._  
(Yukio Mishima in Confessions of a Mask)

Waking wrapped in warmth and surrounded by a cocoon of heavy limbs and hard chest muscles was just as comforting as you remembered from when the two of you’d been buried below a crumbled building. Lying on the softest mattress on earth was an upgrade though. It was warm and safe and Jason’s scent in your nose was by far the most soothing sensation you could think of.

He was still fast asleep and you didn’t dare move away as to not wake him. Instead you raked your fingers through the roots of his hair, a faint moan of pleasure your reward. You smiled stupidly, ignoring your bladder and your muscles hurting from staying in one position for too long. Of course you’d make sure to give him a run for his money for the next days to come but right then and there you were in heaven and Jason’s personal hell could wait a little while longer.

Nuzzling his scratchy chin you made sure to still whenever his breathing hitched to announce his waking from deep sleep. Only the third time it was that you felt stiffened muscles below you stretch, joints pop and simultaneously another rasped moan pass his lips.  
Arms tightened around you, dragging you even closer to his warmth and leaving no space whatsoever between your bodies.

"Mornin’ sugar!" His hoarse tone sent a shiver down your back and you pressed into him.   
"Mhmm… hey handsome!" You whispered, your lips on his pulse point where you could feel his heart rate speed up frantically at your ministrations.

"It’s not morning though, barely evening." You informed him and blew a soft breath onto the wet patch of skin on his throat. A groan reached your ears and his hands were suddenly trailing from your waist lower only for him to roll around, abruptly lift you by the hips and shove you upwards to completely straddle him. Without giving it much thought you bucked against him and were rewarded with sweet friction sending a rush of heat to your belly.

Jason’s eyes closed in pleasure, eyelashes ghosting his cheeks and you caught yourself staring as he furrowed his eyebrows, biting his lip to refrain from vocalization. If it was any indication, the straining, hard bulge in his jeans, hot against your thigh, spoke volumes. Both his palms held you in place, stopping you from any further movement and slowly his eyelids lifted, leaving you breathlessly gazing into the flaring eyes of the man you’d fallen for. It was as if the air was crackling with electricity around you.

"You sure are something!" His smirk had you swooning and you smiled back tenderly, cupping his cheek with one hand.  
"And you look like a mountain man, Jay! Don’t worry though, it's kinda sexy." You giggled at his stunned expression and reflexively leaned down, out of his loosened grasp, to peck his lips.

It occurred to you the moment that your lips met that this was indeed the first real kiss you shared. Now, you could have shied away or you could have played it cool - either option struck you as a possibility as you felt your adrenaline pump through your veins but a millisecond later you felt fingers comb through your hair and then a loose grip on the back of your neck holding you perfectly in place.   
What should have been an innocent kiss, a sweet one even as there was nothing obscene about it, was probably the most carnal motion you’d ever experienced and your fingers clutched his shirt tightly, your knuckles hurting from clenching. The moment could have carried on forever and you found that every muscle in your body was plotting against you as you weakly submitted to the neediness and strained against the hard body below you as if you wanted to become one with him.

A curt and loud ringing had the two of you break apart hastily, both your gazes wide and confused until you realized it to be coming from Jason’s pocket, who had difficulty extracting the phone in the predicament he found himself in.  
The screen read 'DICKHEAD!' in bright letters and you would’ve liked to groan at the timing but repressed the urge.  
"Yeah?" Jason’s soft growl into the speaker indicated his unwillingness to answer but you didn’t remain to listen to the conversation and instead sauntered to the bathroom.

Upon your return, having traded the clothing you’d still worn for sleepwear, you found Jason in a sitting position on your bed’s edge. Hands folded together and chin propped upon he watched you with a hooded gaze and a small smile.

"It was Dick!" His tone was almost light and you assumed it had been good news delivered for the deep scowl that you sometimes thought was etched into his face had now for once been replaced by playfully arched eyebrows and sparkling blues.  
"I figured!" You snickered and slowly set foot in front of foot approaching the awaiting man. "Did he eliminate Kumar?"

Jason shook his head no and flipped back to lie down again, patting the space next to him.

"You know he doesn’t play that way, sugar!" His voice was soft and somewhat rueful, to which you stopped your advance to look down on him from above. His eyes were a softer shade than usual, the bedside lamp casting him in flattering dim light that erased most scarring from his skin as well as the soft lines and creases that began to show at the edges of his eyes.  
You couldn’t help but smile at him, lying there and looking younger and more vulnerable than you’d ever thought possible after all the years he’d worked on hardening his appearance to come off as cold and uncaring.

"You’re beautiful, you know!" He told you all of a sudden and it took you a moment to register his words before you felt the heat creep up your neck and into your cheeks.  
"And you're pretty cute when you’re blushing like that!" His grin was sweet and far from taunting when his eyes observed you closely as if he was searching for any flaw that he couldn’t seem to find.

Not feeling half as confident as you’d have liked but deciding to feign it, you crept up onto the bedside on hands and knees, once again straddling him but avoiding to make any hasty movement.  
"Are you hitting on me, Todd?" You asked and finally found his obliging grin turn into something much darker, accompanied by the lowering of his eyelids. He reminded you of a big cat, enjoying the momentum but ready to pounce in the next second. Sheer willpower kept you from rubbing up against him right then and there, the slight tremble in your limbs did not goby unnoticed.

"So what if I am, princess?" His hands found their way from behind his head to your hips, thumbs rubbing circles on your hipbone and the tips of his fingers digging lightly into the flesh of your backside. He didn’t do much else though, clearly awaiting an answer to the question he’d posed - maybe awaiting your consent or possibly only to rattle you.

You hummed but didn’t concede, instead ran your fingernails from his shoulders right up to his hands that kept you in place, all the while extremely aware of the heat building where your bodies’ cores met and the goose bumps trailing your way up his arms. Your gazes met and you regarded the heated look Jason gave you, carefully trying to decide how to proceed.  
It was a calculated risk to try and chasten the man in front of you, over all for something that both of you seemed to want just as much as the other. But you just couldn’t give in to his pursuit without a little fight.

"You know, if you really wanted my forgiveness after what you did," You hesitated for a moment, thinking over your next words. "Shouldn’t you be a bit more… submissive?" A gasp left your lips milliseconds later when he pushed against you hard, sending currents through your oversensitive body that had you arch even further against him, albeit unwillingly.

"Sugar, I would crawl before you if that was what you truly wanted!" His voice was soft and his iron grip on you loosened somewhat but both of you were well aware of his implication.  
Rolling himself up in one swift movement, the two of you were facing each other with just about an inch separating your lips. Your hands wound around Jason’s neck instinctively and you felt his muscles spasm in reaction.

"Do you want me to beg you?" He asked, suddenly serious with furrowed brows and a somewhat fearful expression. You thought about it, rubbing your hands over his exposed skin, feeling rippling muscle. Did you want him to? Did you really want for him to give up on the control that he seemed to crave and probably even needed to execute in order to feel some amount of safety. Honestly, you’d have liked to believe you did, because he certainly deserved to be penalized but it wasn’t in you when you searched his anxious features.

"No!" You spoke thoughtfully and shook your head just as his panicky fidgeting subsided and his eyes closed in relief.

"Thank god!" He groaned and buried his stubbly face in the crook of your neck. "I’m no good with following orders." He sucked on the soft skin of your throat a little too hard and you squeaked in surprise before pushing on his shoulder to shove him away. He didn’t budge but stopped his assault only to come up again and look at you with playfully narrowed eyes.

"You on the other hand, princess! I’ve had some fantasies…" His grin broadened as your eyes widened.

"Pray tell, big boy!" You whispered before leaning in to catch his lips with yours, enjoying the scratchy feeling it brought along. The soft touching of your lips quickly escalated once you ran your tongue over his lower lip and soon you were heatedly kissing, your tongues wrestling for dominance while in each others arms.   
Your palms wandered across clothed skin, caressing softly while you barely noted Jason’s hands slowly but surely creeping upwards. A sudden, steady pull on your hair dragged you somewhat backwards and finally dislodged the two of you to which you found the strength to open your eyes again and watch the man you were wrapped up in, smug grin all in place though laced with something softer.

"I’ll rather show you, sugar! One after the other - I’ve got plenty ideas!"

You smiled despite his hand, buried in your locks, holding you firmly in place.

"But first you fix my car, Todd!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh god... this has come to an end. It had to at one point or another.  
> Nothing much left to say. Just that I had lotsa fun writing this and fact is that I love the guy even more. :D
> 
> If you're waiting for the coming **smut-weekend** , please take note that the smut chapters are NOT going to be uploaded as continuing chapters of 'Thin Lines' but will be published separately - I'll merge the two as a series. First part of **'Tease me, Hit me, Scratch me, Please me'** comes next Friday, one chapter a day. Awaiting you is three chapters of pure, unapologetic hardcore smut with some plot and an easter egg. ;)
> 
> It's gonna be downright dirty and sooo much fun. Much more fun than that goddamn wedding. Yes, I'm still sour.


End file.
